Mandarin Orange Chiffon Cake by Susanne Ng

Mandarin Orange “吉” Chiffon Cake

3 egg yolks

25g caster sugar

50ml vegetable/canola oil

50ml mandarin orange juice

Zest of 1 small mandarin orange

80g cake flour (+ ½ tsp cake flour for the pattern)

Tiny dip of red gel food colouring (for the pattern)

3 small mandarin oranges

Meringue:

4 egg whites

45g caster sugar

¼ tsp cream of tartar

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.

2. Prepare mandarin orange slices from 3 small oranges. Clean and then pat dry with a kitchen towel.

3. Beat egg yolks with sugar with whisk till pale yellow/white before stirring in oil and milk.

4. Next add in sieved flour and whisk till no trace of flour found.

5. Meringue:  Beat the egg whites with ¼ tsp cream of tartar till stiff peak, mixing in caster sugar in 2 additions.

6. Pattern: Scoop out 1.5 tsp of egg yolk batter, add in a tiny dip of red gel colouring and ½ tsp of cake flour. Mix into gruel and scoop over 3 tbsp of meringue. Quickly but gently fold it in till well-combined.

7. Use a wilton 5 tip to pipe the “吉” on the base of the chiffon tin. Rotate the tin as you pipe along the circular centre. Bake the patterns for 1.5 min.

8. Arrange the mandarin orange slices in the desired pattern at the base of the chiffon tin. In my case I used 2-3 slices of oranges to form the base of each “mandarin orange” in the cake.

9. Fold the rest of the meringue into the egg yolk batter in 3 additions using flexible spatula or hand.

10. Pour in the mandarin orange batter gently over the pattern and oranges.

11. Bake the cake in preheated 160°C oven for 50 minutes.

12. Invert when cake is removed from oven and unmould when cake is cool.

13. Complete the mandarin orange patterns in the cake by adding slices of mandarin oranges to create a 3D effect (there will be a slight groove to place them in).

Gula Melaka Agar Agar by Agnes Lee

Ingredients:

 

800ml water

 

5 pandan leaves

 

180g gula melaka

 

8g agar-agar powder

 

200ml coconut milk *

 

1 egg *

 

Pinch of salt*

 

Method:

 

1)      Using a fork, beat tog. all ingredients marked with an asterisk (*) and set aside.

 

2)      In a saucepan, bring water to boil. Add pandan leaves (washed and tied into a knot) and gula melaka to water and stir until gula Melaka is completely dissolved. Boil for another 15mins for the pandan leaves to infuse its aroma.

 

3)      Remove pandan leaves, sieve mixture into another saucepan to remove any impurities from the gula melaka.

 

4)      Stir in the agar agar powder and bring to boil again.

 

5)      Sieve in the coconut milk/egg mixture, stir thoroughly.

 

6)      Bring mixture to boil for about 5mins to ensure that the egg is cooked.

 

7)      Once done, pour into desired mould and leave to cool to room temperature before putting into fridge to chill.

Honey Pear Tea Chiffon "Pears" by Phay Shing Tan

Recipe for Honey Pear Tea Chiffon "Pears"

Adapted from recipe for Yuzu chiffon cake

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks (65g eggs)
80g cake flour
20g caster sugar
52g honey pear tea jam
40g vegetable oil (I used canola)
50g hot water
1/4 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
1/3tsp baking powder

Meringue:
4 egg whites
45g caster sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Leaves and stems decoration:

Chocolate coated biscuit sticks

Green tea powder

White compound chocolate

1. Dissolve pear jam in hot water. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 160°C
3. Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar until well combined. Add in oil, followed by pear jam dissolved in water. Mix in vanilla essence.
4. Whisk sifted flour and baking powder bit by bit until there is no trace of flour.
5. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer. When soft peaks are formed, gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed and the bowl can be overturned without the meringue falling out.
6. Add 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter and mix well. Fold in gently but quickly the rest of meringue in 2 additions until there is no trace of egg whites. Tap the bowl a few times on the table to release any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
7. Spoon batter into round-bottomed glass bowls (for the big pears) and egg shells* (for the small pears). Fill the glass bowls until they are about slightly more than half full and the eggshells until they are about 1/2- 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 150°C for another 10-15 minutes.
9. Let the cakes cool completely before unmolding by hand. Store the cakes in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out.

10. Shape the small pears by wrapping each cake with cling wrap and tying a rubber band about 1/3 from the top as shown in the picture. Leave the rubber band on overnight.

11. Melt some chopped white compound chocolate over a double boiler and add in some green tea until the desired shade of green is reached. Keep stirring the mixture with a spoon until it is smooth. Transfer the green tea white chocolate into a piping bag with a No.3 Wilton piping tip. Lay out some biscuit sticks on a baking sheet and pipe leaves onto the sticks. When the chocolate has set, gently peel off the sticks. If the leaves break off the stems by accident, you may melt some milk chocolate to "glue" them back or use Nutella if you are feeling lazy.

12. Assemble the big pears by joining 2 cakes baked in glass bowls to form a sphere. Use a toothpick to make a hole from the top of the pear. Insert a biscuit stick with leaf attached. Break off the lower portion of the biscuit stick if it is too long.

13. Assemble the small pears by using a toothpick to make a hole at the top of each pear and inserting a biscuit stick.

 

* Please refer to my earlier post for preparation of eggshells for baking chiffon in them: http://culinarykitchenette.blogspot.sg/2014/01/orange-milo-chiffon-horse-cakepops-by.html

Mushroom and Asparagus Bread Pudding by Ronnie Chan (aka Rontree Chan)

Mushroom/Asparagus bread pudding (8"x6" X2"Ht Pan)
Ingredients A
1 Tbsp	Salted Butter (Melted)
2 Tbsp	Olive Oil
6-8 slices	Bread cut into 1" cubes
Some	Salt and Pepper
1. Preheat oven at 180DC. Lay a sheet of aluminium foil on
baking tray.
2. Lay the bread cube over the aluminium foil.
3. drizzle with butter and olive oil.
4. sprinkle salt and pepper over the bread.
5. bake in oven for around 10min till the bread lightly browned
and crisp.  (Set aside to cool)
Ingredients B
1 Tbsp	Salted Butter
1 Tbsp	Olive oil
15 pcs	Brown button mushroom cut into chucks or slices
	(or mix with other mushrooms)
1/2 pcs	White Onion (roughly chopped)
180ml	Heavy cream or whippinig cream
1 Tbsp	concentrated thick chicken stock (maggi brand)
300ml	Milk or low fat milk
5 nos	eggs
Some	Salt and Pepper
1. heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add in butter and olive oil
2. Add in onion and mushroom, stir fry till mushroom sweated
3. Add in cream, stock and milk. Cook for 5-10 mins
4. Add salt and pepper. Taste to own preference.
Continue from page 1
5. Remove pan from heat to cool for 5mins
6. Add in 5 eggs one at a time to mixture while continue
whisking with a hand whisk to temper the egg and preventing
the egg to scramble.
Ingredients C
Preheat Oven at 170DC
1 Tbsp	Butter (softened)
1	Baking Dish
	Ingredient A
	Ingredient B
4 stalks	Asparagus (trimmed/ blanched in salted water 5 mins)
	cut into around 2-3" length
some	Bacon and ham (cooked)
6 pcs	Honey tomato ( cut into half)
4 - 6 nos	Quail eggs
Some	finely chopped parley and pepper for garnishing
1. lightly coat baking dish with softened butter at bottom/side
2. lay in the baked bread (Ingredient A) in the dish pan.
3. Pour in ingredient B till 3/4 full while exposing some bread
and mushroom at the surface.
4. Baked in Oven for 30mins. The filling will puff up when the
savoury custard is cooked.
5. Take out the dish. Insert and lay in asparagus, bacon, ham
and tomatoes.
6. Use back of a spoon to create 6 indentions and pour in the
quail eggs.
7.Return to oven to bake for another 10 -15 mins.
8. let it cool for 15 mins before cutting. (YUMMY!)

Pandan Souffle by Ronnie Chan (aka Rontree Chan)

Pandan Souffle (Serve 2)
Ingredients
1Tbsp	Softened unsalted butter for coating ramekins
1 Tbsp	Castor sugar for coating ramekins
2 Tbsp	Kaya (green or yellow type)
2-3 drops	Pandan extract
1 Tsp	Corn flour
2 Tbsp	Coconut milk
2 nos	Egg Whites with 1/2 tsp sugar
Methods (preheat oven 170DC)
1. brushed the ramekin with butter at the base and side with
upward motion as this will help the souflle to rise.
2. coat the internal surface with sugar, leave in fridge 30mins
3. Mix kaya, pandan extract, corn flour and coconut milk.
4. Whisk egg white to stiff peak (can add little sugar will help
to form stiff peak. Avoid over whisking)
5. Stir in 1/3 of white mixture to pandan mixture and
combine well.
7. Gently fold in the rest of 2/3 egg white mixture to
incorporate air into mixture.
8. Take out ramekins from fridge and pour in souffle mixture
till full. Scape off the excess leaving flat surface.
9. run finger along the collar of ramekin to form a slightly 'V' at
the edge to remove excess batter (this will help souffle to rise up straight)
10. Bake in Oven at middle rack for 15-20mins.
11. Serve immediately when is done as the souffle will collaspe
when is cold.
12. Dust with icing sugar for garnishing.