Pate Choux

Cherry Clafoutis


4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lb. fresh cherries, pitted, or 1 1/4 lb.
frozen cherries, thawed and drained
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Pistachio ice cream for serving (see related
recipe at right)



Preheat an oven to 375ºF. Butter a large rectangular baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Using a handheld mixer, beat on medium-high speed until ribbons form, about 8 minutes. Add the flour, vanilla and cream. Reduce the speed to low and beat until completely blended, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a small bowl, using a handheld whisk, beat the egg whites and salt for about 30 seconds. Add the whites to the batter and beat with the mixer on low speed until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Preheat the prepared baking dish in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.

In a bowl, stir together the cherries, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the lemon zest. Remove the pan from the oven, pour in the cherries and top with the batter. Bake until the clafoutis is set in the middle, 30 to 35 minutes.

A slice of the cake

Ingredients
Cake
125gm butter
175gm brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
35gm cocoa powder
130ml warm water
140gm self-raising flour
Buttercream/whipped cream and fresh strawberries for decoration

Method
1. Mix in cocoa powder and water
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Add in eggs, one at a time
4. Add in vanilla essence, beating well after each addition until well combine
5. Then add in a bit of cocoa mixture and flour slowly until finish
6. Spoon batter into a 18cm cake tin
7. Bake in preheated oven at 180degree for 10-15 minutes or till skewer comes out clean

Chocolate Ganache
90ml dairy whipping cream (original is 60ml)
110gm dark chocolate

Method
1. Heat dairy whipping cream until it comes to just under the boil, off the fire
2. Add in dark chocolate and mix well

Assembly
1. Cut cake into 3 layers
2. Spread ganache over first layer and cover with another layer
3. Repeat twice, cover the top and sides with ganache
4. Use a metal spatula to smoothen the top and sides
5. Pipe buttercream or whipped cream on the cake and put quartered strawberries on it

Ingredients

Mixture ‘A’
250g cream cheese, softened
60g castor sugar
1 egg

1. Beat cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy
2. Beat in egg until well incorporated and set it aside

Mixture ‘B’
180g butter, softened
150g sugar
3 eggs
3 tbsp cocoa
120g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

1. Sieve flour, baking powder and cocoa together and put aside
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Add egg, one at a time and beat until well incorporated into mixture
4. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture.
5. To assemble, pour half of mixture ‘B’, then all of mixture ‘A’, then followed by the remaining mixture ‘B’.
6. Bake in preheat oven at 180C for 45-50 min or until skewer comes out clean.

This recipe was shared by one online friend but I changed the filling recipe by adding more durians, reducing the whipped cream and up the honey. It was truly durianlicious *wink*

Durian Filling

Ingredients
Durian pulp from 12 pcs of durian
2 tbsp milk
2-3 tsp honey
200ml whipping cream

Method
1. Beat cream till soft peaked, put aside
2. Add durian meat, milk and honey into another bowl and mix till smooth using a wooden spoon
3.Combine cream and durian mixture together till well blended and put in fridge till ready to fill the puffs


Cream Puff Pastry

Ingredients
4oz butter
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs

Method
1. Place water, butter and salt into saucepan and bring to boil till butter melts
2. With the heat still on, add flour and stir vigourously till mixture becomes ball like and doesn't stick to pan
3. Bring heat to low and when you hear a hissing sound, you know the dough is ready.
4. Set it aside into a mixing bowl to cool for about 5-10 mins.
5. Using a wooden spoon, add eggs one at a time into the mixing bowl with your dough and blend for at least one minute or until smooth
6. Continue doing this till all eggs are fully incorporated
7. Put the mixture into a piping bag or ziplog bag, snip a small hole at one corner and pipe swirls onto a non-stick tray or tray with baking paper (you can use a spoon to scoop too)
8. Bake for 20 mins at 220 degree celsius till golden brown
9. Cool on rack
10.Once cooled, fill puffs with durian filling and serve

Bánh Pâté Chaud

A French pastry prepared with a Vietnamese twist. Vietnam was colonized by the France for a while; as a result, French influences are visible in a portion of Vietnamese eats. I googled “Pâté Chaud” and most of the recipes I found contained beef; the Vietnamese version uses pork. So what did I was used my Vietnamese recipe but substituted the pork with beef. The results? Interesting and yummy! Authenticity wise, I’d have to rule that this recipe is neither authentic Vietnamese nor French. It’s a Vietnamese hybrid of a French pastry.

Puff Pastry “Shell”:
**Buy premade puff pastry or (why buy it when you can make it from scratch?):
-250g all purpose flour
-1 egg yolk
-130g water
-1/2 tsp each: salt and sugar
-4 tbs butter
-50g butter
-60g shortening

*Mix together flour, salt and sugar. Rub or cut 4 tbs butter into flour mixture. Add egg yolk and water; quickly mix evenly into a “dough”. Rest for 15 mins. Meanwhile mix together butter and shortening, shape into a square. Roll dough out and use to wrap butter/shortening square. Fold into thirds roll, turn, and fold into thirds again. Chill in the freezer for 15 mins and repeat 5 more times.

Filling:
-1/2lb ground pork or beef
-1/2 medium onion
-2 tbs butter at room temperature
-3 tsp pate
-1 tsp ground pepper
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp sugar
-1 medium carrot (optional)
-50g peas (optional)

*Chop onions, and carrots. Mix everything together and divide into 9-10 portions.

Making the Pastries:
Roll pastry dough and cut into 18-20 circles using a biscuit or cookie cutter (anything round). Brush 9-10 pastry circles with egg wash, add filling. Use “leftover” dough to form a circle around the filling. Brush on more egg wash and top with another pastry circle. Firmly press the dough layers together. Finally, brush with more egg wash and bake at 375’F for 15-20 mins. Serve hot.
Basic Pie Crust (for 4, 9 inch pies):
-550g all purpose flour
-350g butter
-1 ½ tsp salt
-2 tbs sugar
-150g ice water (approximate)

**Mix together salt, sugar, and flour. Cut butter into flour and add water a tablespoon at a time until moist and crumbly. Divide into 4 portions, roll and line pie pans.

Filling:
Apple and Pear Pie (for 2, 9 inch pies)

-250g sugar (approximate, depending on sweetness of fruits)
-500g: Barlet Pears
-500g: mixture of Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Jonagold apples
-4 tbs flour
-2 tbs ground cinnamon

**Peal, seed and slice fruit into thin pieces. Mix everything together and fill pies. Bake at 450’F for 15 mins, reduce heat to 350’F and bake for another 40 mins or until juices from the center of the pie bubbles.
***Note: If making apple pies, use 1kg apples. If making pear pies use 1kg pears and omit cinnamon.