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Meals

AJÍ DE GALLINA (7 Porciones)

Chicken Chili

Ingredientes:

  • Pan (1-2 panes franceses)
  • Pollo (2.5 libras de pollo sin hueso ó 4.5 libras de pollo con hueso)
  • Ajo picado/molido (2-3 cucharaditas)
  • Aji Amarillo Peruano (3 cucharas)
  • Cúrcuma
  • Leche
  • Queso Parmesano
  • Papa (7 medianas)
  • Aceite Vegetal

Opcional:

  • Arroz (2.5 tazas)
  • Huevos (4 unidades)

Preparacion:

En paralelo se puede:

  • Hervir las papas con un poquito de sal
  • Hervir el pollo con un poquito de sal
  • Hervir los huevos
  • Cocinar el arroz

Una vez que el pollo este hecho, se desilacha el pollo. Guarda el agua del pollo para después. Si es pollo viene sin hueso, es efectivo usar dos tenedores para desilachar el pollo.

En una sarten, se pone un poco de aceite a calentar a media temperatura. Mientras calienta se puede poner el ajo a dorar. Una vez que el ajo esta dorado, se dora aji amarillo encima. Seguido viene el tumeric al gusto y el caldo en el que el pollo se hirvio. El tumeric viene al gusto, fijense mas que todo en el color. Mientras se mezcla, tambien se le agrega el pan para que le de consistencia a la mezcla. Una vez que el pan se ve bien disparcido en la mezcla, se le echa un poco de leche al gusto.

El queso parmesano se puede agregar ahora si se prefiere el queso combinado con el aji amarillo, o se puede esperar al final y se echa encima como adorno.

Dejar hervir mientras se mueve con una cuchara de madera hasta que llegue a la consistencia deseada.

Se sirve en un plato con las papas rebanadas abajo y el aji de pollo encima de las papas. Opcionalmente se le puede poner arroz y/o huevo al lado.

BUTTER CHICKEN 奶油雞 (7 Servings)

Pollo de Mantequilla

Based on Purple Bowl recipe

Ingredients

  • Chicken (2.5 boneless)
  • Eggs (2 units)
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Corn Starch
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Oyster Sauce (5 tbs)
  • Soy Sauce (1 tbsp)
  • Sesame Oil (1 tbsp)
  • Minced/Crushed Garlic (2-3 tsp)
  • Ginger
  • Curry Leaves
  • Bird Eye Chillies (10 units)
  • Butter (100 g)
  • Evaporated Milk (2 Cups) OR Fresh Milk (4.5 cups)
  • Water (1/2 cup) ignore if using fresh milk
  • Shaoxing Cooking Wine (3 tbsp)

Procedure

Mix:

  • 3 tbsp of oyster sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame Oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Cut chicken into cubes and let it marinade in the mixture above for 20 minutes.

Beat eggs and add them onto the mixture.

Mix flour and corn starch in a 3:2 ratio. Coat each chicken cube in the flour + corn starch mix.

Deep fry the chicken in hot oil.

Chop the chillies into small bits.

Melt butter in a work or frying pan. Stir fry the garlic and ginger in the butter. Add the curry leaves, followed by the diced chillies. Continue stir frying until you can smell the aroma of the curry leaves.

Add the milk and water into the wok, moving it often to make sure no ingredient is stuck in the bottom or burnt. Add the remaining of the oyster sace, the cooking wine, and salt to taste.

Cook until the buttery cream has thickened. Turn off heat and add in the chicken. Toss such that the fried schicken is coated by the buttery cream.

Traditionally served with rice but split peas are a good lower calorie alternative.

CHICKEN CHILI (7 Servings)

Ají de Gallina

Ingredients:

  • Bread (1-2 rolls)
  • Chicken (2.5 boneless OR 4.5 lbs bone-in)
  • Minced/Crushed Garlic (2-3 tsp)
  • Peruvian Yellow Pepper (3 tbsp)
  • Turmeric
  • Milk
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Potatoes (7 medium-sized)
  • Vegetable Oil

Optional:

  • Rice (2.5 cups)
  • Eggs (4 units)

Procedure:

The following could be done in parallel:

  • Boil the potatoes with a bit of salt
  • Boil the chicken with a bit of salt
  • Boil the eggs
  • Cook the rice

After the chicken is done (tender), pull it. Save the water in which the chicken was cooked for later. If the chicken is boneless, it is effective to use two forks to help pull the chicken.

In a frying pan, add a bit of oil and start heating it at mid temperature. While it’s heating, lightly fry the garlic until golden, stirring often. Once the garlic is ready, start frying the yellow pepper on top. When the pepper and the garlic are properly sautéed, add the tumeric to taste and the water from the chicken from earlier. Pay attention to the color to determine when it’s enough. Continue stirring and add the bread for consistency. Once the bread is well integrated with the mixture (no obvious lumps), add a bit of milk to taste.

At this step you may add some of the parmesan cheese into the mixture, or wait to add it on top of the meal later as a garnish.

Let the mixture cook while stirring every so often until the desired consistency is achieved.

It is served in a plate with sliced potatoes served under the spicy cream. You may optionally add rice and/or a boiled egg to the side.

CHINESE DUMPLINGS

Recipes c/o Mom & Dad

(TODO: try dumpling wrapper recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/how-to-make-chinese-dumplings)

Filling

NOTE If there is any juice from the vegetables when you chop/shred them, don’t add the juice into the meat mixture. The filling is juicy enough without it.

Common ingredients

  • Salt
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Cooking wine (optional)
  • Fresh prawns (optional), chopped (add one piece to each dumpling)

A

  • Ground pork (equal portion by volume to chives) (no beef, apparently gives you indigestion when mixed with chives?)
  • Chinese chives, chopped
  • Salt
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame oil

B

  • Ground pork/ beef
  • Cabbage, chopped (squeeze juice out before adding to meat)
  • Green onion, chopped
  • Shittake mushrooms, soaked in hot water (squeeze out water) (chopping optional)
  • Dried shrimp

C

  • Ground pork/beef
  • Napa cabbage, chopped (squeeze juice out before adding to meat)
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • Shittake mushrooms, soaked in hot water (squeeze out water) (chopping optional)

D

  • Ground pork/beef
  • Zucchini, shredded
  • Green onion, chopped
  • Shittake mushrooms, soaked in hot water (squeeze out water) (chopping optional)
  • Firm tofu, chopped

E

  • Ground pork
  • White radish/ Chinese radish/ Japanese radish, shredded
  • Green onion, chopped
  • Dried shrimp, chopped
  • Shittake mushrooms, soaked in hot water (squeeze out water) (chopping optional)

F (also good in steamed buns)

  • Ground beef
  • Carrot, shredded
  • Green onion, chopped

Condiments

  • Soy sauce
  • Sliced ginger
  • Vinegar

If making ahead of time

A,B,C, and dumplings containing juice like 小籠包

If making ahead of time: Mix ground meat with seasonings. Add water little by little while stirring. Stop when the meat can’t absorb any more water. Keep the meat in the fridge overnight. Add vegetables before making dumplings.

D, E

Add vegetables right before you are going to make dumplings. This can prevent the filling from becoming watery.

Tips

  • Make sure to seal dumplings very tightly
  • Don’t trap air in the dumpling, or they’ll float too soon
  • Don’t overcook dumplings, or the skin will fall apart

Wrappers

Coming soong

Cooking directions

Fresh dumplings

Boil water on high heat.

Once water is at a rolling boil, put dumplings in pot.

Once water is back to a rolling boil, turn down the heat to medium/medium high and keep water at a rolling boil until dumplings are floating (dumplings may float too soon if they weren’t made properly, so eyeball it).

Add ~1 cup of cold water and keep on high heat. Wait for water to get to a rolling boil again and dumplings are floating. Turn off the heat immediately.

Frozen dumplings

Boil water on high heat.

Once water is at a rolling boil, put dumplings in pot.

Once water is back to a rolling boil, turn down the heat to medium/medium high and keep water at a rolling boil until dumplings are floating (dumplings may float too soon if they weren’t made properly, so eyeball it).

Add ~1 cup of cold water and keep on high heat. Wait for water to get to a rolling boil again and dumplings are floating.

Add another cup of cold water. Wait for water to get to a rolling boil again, then turn off the heat immediately.

POLLO DE MANTEQUILLA (7 Porciones)

Butter Chicken

Basado en la receta en Purple Bowl

Baked Goods

Basque Cheesecake - extra cheese variant

Adapted from Giacomo Bocchio

Tools

  • 8 inch with removable bottom
  • 6 inch pan with removable bottom
  • Immersion blender

Ingredients

Originally for 25cm / 9.8 inch pan, but worked well with an 8 inch + 6 inch pan

Note: 7 large grade A chicken eggs produced around the right amount of yolk/white

Cheesecake

  • 3 8oz packs cream cheese, room temp
    • recipe calls for 600g
  • 375g of any buttery cheese. Mild flavor results in good texture but not much extra taste; use stronger cheese next time
  • 25g blue cheese
  • 400g sugar
  • 140g egg yolk
  • 280g egg white
  • 1 pint heavy cream
    • recipe calls for 500g
  • 30g flour

Balsamic reduction

  • 1:1 ratio by weight of balsamic vinegar and sugar

Directions, cheesecake

  • Preheat oven to 415F
    • recipe calls for 220C, but that seemed a bit too high
  • Add heavy cream and buttery cheese to a pot in medium-low heat. Whisk it and melt it slowly. Don’t let it reach a boil
  • Put cream cheese in a bowl and cream it. Easiest to start with a spatula; may never get soft enough to whisk. Important thing is just to get all the lumps out
  • When cream and cheese mixture is almost done, add blue cheese, continue whisking until it melts in
  • Once the cheese mixture has melted, pour it onto the cream cheese. Use immersion blender to combine until mixture cools down a little before adding eggs, as you don’t want the eggs to cook
  • Don’t over mix, or dairy will curdle
  • Add rest of ingredients: egg yolk, egg white, sugar, flour, then continue blending
    • in recipe, everything is just dumped in at once
  • Line pans with parchment paper. Cut off excess, leaving just a cm or two folded over the edge. If paper is too high, it begins to burn and crumple
  • Pour batter in
  • Put pans in oven. Bake for a total of 32 minutes. Every 8 minutes, rotate the pans clockwise by 90 degrees so top bakes evenly
    • Towards the end, keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn
  • After removing from oven, let cakes sit on cooling racks until room temp or at least only slightly warm
  • Leave in pans, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better
  • Unmold before serving

Directions, balsamic reduction

  • Mix vinegar and sugar in a pot
  • Keep it at a low simmer until sugar dissolves

Basque Cheesecake - basic variant (WIP)

Adapted from:

Ingredients (9 inch):

  • 2 lb cream cheese, softened (4 packs)
  • 1.25 cups granulated sugar (250g)
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • Did not use: 2 egg yolks
  • 2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 cup all purpose flour

Ingredients (8 inch):

TBD

Ingredients (6 inch):

  • 1 lb cream cheese, softened (2 packs)
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400F (425 for 6 inch).
  • In mixer bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until the sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing between each addition until fully incorporated. Add the egg yolks and beat to incorporate. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The batter should be very smooth and homogenous.
  • Slowly pour in the cream and mix until incorporated. Add the vanilla and salt and mix just to combine.
  • Use a fine-mesh sieve to sift in the flour, then mix until just incorporated.
  • Crumple 1 or 2 sheets of parchment paper (depending on pan size), then unwrap and press into pan, stacking the top sheet perpendicular to the bottom sheet so the entire pan is covered. Make sure some excess sticks up from the sides as the cheesecake will rise quite a bit. If using a removable bottom pan, you can use the insert to help press the paper into shape.
  • Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Place on a baking sheet.
  • Bake the cheesecake until the top is a dark golden brown and the cake is slightly jiggly in the center, ~50-55 minutes (~35-40 min for 6 inch). If the top doesn’t seem brown enough when otherwise ready, broil for 30 sec - 1 min (be careful and check often as it burns fast). DON’T LET THE PARCHMENT PAPER BURN BY TOUCHING THE UPPER HEATING ELEMENT.
  • Cooling suggestions:
    • Let cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then remove the springform and gently unwrap the parchment from the sides of the cheesecake. Cheescake can also be refrigerated covered for a few days.
    • Let cool at room temperature , then refrigerate uncovered for 5 hours or 2 days

Biscuits

Sources:

  • https://merryboosters.com/homemade-biscuits-without-buttermilk/: instructions from here for baking in skillet or cake pan. 450F @ ~18 minutes
  • https://sugarspunrun.com/easy-homemade-biscuits/: ingredients from here

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter very cold (85g)
  • ¾ cup whole milk (177ml)

Notes

To keep the butter cold, weigh it out, cut it into smaller chunks, and kept it in the freezer in a small bowl while preparing the dry ingredients.

Directions

  • Preheat to 450F (for skillet/dutch oven/cake pan), or 425F for baking tray
  • Cut butter into cubes
  • In a bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder
  • Whisk to combine
  • Add butter to flour; can mix in with two forks (or pastry cutter?) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs/small pea size butter lumps
  • Add cold milk, in three or four batches into the flour mixture. Using a fork, gently toss and stir together until large lumps form and all of the flour has been moistened
  • Transfer the dough on to a lightly floured work surface
  • Using hands, work dough together.
  • Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough
  • Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1“ thick and lightly dust a 2 ¾“ round biscuit cutter with flour
  • Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet. Do NOT twist cutter or you’ll damage the layers
  • Place the cut biscuits into skillet/dutch oven/ cake pan. No need to grease containers
  • Bake for ~18 minutes, or until golden brown on top. (If baking on flat tray, 425F for 16 min)

Cheesecake Brownies (WIP)

Adapted from Sugar Spun Run

Ingredients:

Brownies:

  • 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 12 pieces (170g) (1.5 sticks) (try: 10 tablespoons)
  • 113g/4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 100g granulated sugar (try: no brown sugar and 200g granulated sugar)
  • 75g light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 125g all-purpose flour
  • (try: 1/2 tsp baking powder)

Cheesecake:

  • 453g/16 oz full fat brick-style cream cheese, softened (2 bricks)
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • 65g full fat sour cream (try: 120 g sour cream)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Optional: powdered mixin (ie lucuma powder, matcha powder)

Directions:

Brownies:

  • Preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Line a 9×9“ baking pan with parchment paper (enough to overhang edges). Fold well so edges are pretty!
  • Beat eggs, then mix in sugar to dissolve.
  • Combine butter and chopped chocolate in a large, microwave safe bowl. Heat in 25-second intervals, stirring well in between, until both chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth.
  • Immediately add cocoa powder and instant coffee (if using) and stir until combined.
  • Add egg/sugar mixture and vanilla extract and stir well.
  • Sift salt and flour (try: and baking powder) over the batter and stir until completely combined, but don’t overmix.
  • Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake for 13-15 minutes (the surface of the brownies should be beginning to set, but note that the brownies will not be cooked completely during this time!)
  • (try: Once finished, lower oven temp to 325F.)

Cheesecake:

  • While brownies are pre-baking, prepare cheesecake.
  • Cream together cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth and well combined (scrape sides and bottom of bowl to make sure there are no lumps hiding).
  • Stir in sour cream.
  • Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
  • Set aside 1/4 of cheesecake filling in a separate bowl.
  • Stir flavoring to taste into remaining 3/4 of filling (or do the reverse, depending on whether flavored or plain filling should dominate).

Assembly:

  • Once brownie batter is out of the oven, carefully and evenly pour the 3/4 portion of cheesecake layer over the surface.
  • Either dollop or pour in evenly spaced lines the 1/4 portion of cheesecake filling. Use an offset spatula or knife to swirl a pattern.
  • (work on timings!) Return to 325F oven and bake ~40-55 minutes or until cheesecake is set (center will still be jiggly if jostled). Edges may be slightly puffed or even slightly golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature until no longer warm 1-2 hours). Transfer to refrigerator and chill 3-4 hours before slicing and serving.

Naisu (奶酥) Filling

Based on various Chinese food blogs and Google translate

Makes enough moderate filling for 8ish buns?

Ingredients:

  • 70g butter
  • 30g powdered sugar
  • 80g milk powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 30g beaten egg (save the rest for the egg & water wash on rolls)

Directions:

  • Cream together butter, powdered sugar, and salt
  • Add egg (may take a while for egg to mix in to the creamed butter)
  • Fold in milk powder and mix until just combined
  • Weigh and roll into desired quantity
  • Keep refrigerated until needed
  • To use in a bread roll recipe, eg this one: after shaping rolls, let them proof for 10-15 min. Then flatten and add a glob of filling, making sure to tightly pinch and seal the edges. Continue with second proof and baking instructions as directed.

Pancakes (untested)

Golden Diner Pancake Recipe

via NYT Cooking

Ingredients Yield:4 to 6 large pancakes with toppings (3 to 6 servings)

For the Pancake Batter
    2¼teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast (one ¼-ounce packet)
    2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour, divided
    1¼cups/300 grams buttermilk
    2tablespoons sugarg
    ¾teaspoon baking soda
    ½teaspoon fine salt
    2large eggs
    ¼cup/60 grams canola oil or other neutral-tasting oil
For the Maple-honey Butter
    ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, softened
    3tablespoons honey
    2tablespoons pure maple syrup
    ¾teaspoon fine salt
For the Maple-honey Syrup
    ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter
    ⅓cup/100 grams honey
    1½tablespoons maple syrup
    1teaspoon soy sauce
    ½teaspoon fine salt
For the Berry Compote
    14ounces/400 grams mixed berries, such as blueberries, raspberries and stemmed strawberries, cut to the same size as the small berries
    ⅓cup/67 grams sugar
    1½teaspoons cornstarch

Preparation

Step 1

Start the pancake batter: In a small bowl, whisk the yeast with 1 cup flour. In a small saucepan, heat the buttermilk with ¼ cup/60 grams water over medium-low heat, stirring often, until lukewarm (about 100 degrees), about 5 minutes. Pour the buttermilk into the flour and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to create a pre-ferment. This will give the pancakes a deeper flavor and some additional rise.
Step 2

Meanwhile, make the maple-honey butter: In a medium bowl, whisk the butter, honey, syrup and salt until smooth. Keep at room temperature if using within a few hours. Otherwise, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Soften the butter and whisk it again before serving.
Step 3

Make the maple-honey syrup: Combine the butter, honey, syrup, soy sauce and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, whisking often, until the butter melts completely. While whisking, add 1 ½ tablespoons water. Keep whisking until emulsified, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm.
Step 4

Make the berry compote: In a large bowl, gently mix the berries, sugar and cornstarch until the berries are evenly coated. Heat a large, deep skillet over high until very hot. A drop of water sprinkled on the pan should immediately sizzle away. Add the berry mixture and cook, stirring once in a while, until the blueberries look like they’re about to pop, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 5

Finish the pancakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Set a metal rack in a sheet pan and place on the center oven rack.
Step 6

After the pre-ferment has proofed for an hour, whisk the remaining 1 cup flour with the sugar, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and oil until smooth. Scrape the pre-ferment into the egg mixture, then add the dry ingredients. Gently stir with the whisk until no traces of dry ingredients remain. It’s OK if the batter is lumpy.
Step 7

Heat one or two 7- to 8-inch nonstick skillets (5- to 6- inches across the bottom) or extremely well-seasoned cast-iron pans over medium until very hot. Nonstick works best because you won’t be greasing the pans at all. Fill each pan with batter to about ⅓-inch depth. Smooth the top to ensure the batter reaches the edges of the pan and forms a nice round. Cook until the bottom is crisp and evenly golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes, turning down the heat if the bottom browns too quickly. Flip and cook until the other side crisps and browns evenly, 1 to 3 minutes, tucking in the edges to give the pancake a nice dome.
Step 8

Transfer the pancake from the skillet to the rack-lined pan in the oven for the centers to cook through, 2 to 5 minutes. To check, poke a paring knife in the middle and peek to see if any wet batter remains. Repeat with the remaining batter, reheating the pan between pancakes. You can serve the pancakes as they’re done or keep the earlier batches in the oven until all of the pancakes are ready.
Step 9

To serve, center one or two hot pancakes on serving plates and evenly drench with the maple-honey syrup right away. Spoon the berry compote on top, then scoop maple-honey butter over the berries (see Tip). Serve immediately.

Tip

At Golden Diner, the butter is formed into the football shape known as quenelles. You can do the same if you want: Use one spoon to scoop a round of soft maple-honey butter along its long side, then run another spoon of the same size against the first spoon to shape the butter into a football.

Pecan Pie

Based on epicurious recipe

Calories:

  • 3060 before pecans (assuming linked pie crust recipe used)
  • 1368 - 2052 from pecans (2 - 3 cups)
  • Total: 4428 - 5112

Ingredients:

  • Pastry dough
  • Unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
  • Brown sugar (1/2 cup)
  • Light corn syrup (1/2 cup)
  • Vanilla extract (2 tsp)
  • Salt (1/4 tsp)
  • Eggs (3 large)
  • Pecan halves (2 cups for filling, 1/2 - 1 cup for decorating)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F with a baking sheet on middle rack.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and lightly press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Lightly prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (or freeze 10 minutes).

Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in corn syrup, vanilla, zest, and salt. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in corn syrup mixture.

Put pecans in pie shell and pour corn syrup mixture evenly over them. Decorate top of pie with pecans. Bake on hot baking sheet until filling is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely.

Pie Crust

Based on epicurious recipe

Calories: 1380

Ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour (1 1/4 cups)
  • Cold unsalted butter (1 stick, cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
  • Salt (1/4 tsp)
  • Ice water (3-5 tablespoons)

Directions:

Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a large bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

If dough doesn’t yet come together in a smooth lump, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time. From past experience, 4 tablespoons does the trick. Do not add too much water. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.

Once dough comes together into a smooth ball, squash it down in the bowl and knead it a few more times to help spread out the butter. Press into a 5 inch disk, then wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough for as long as the recipe that needs the pie crust calls for.

Original recipe says: can be chilled up to 3 days

Pineapple Tart

Malay/Singaporean

Original recipe

Makes ~100 pieces of small tarts

Ingredients:

  • 350g butter
  • 100g condensed milk
  • 510 g plain flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 ripe pineapples, cut into small pieces
  • 1 egg + 1tsp milk for egg wash (only Malay version)

Directions:

Puree pineapples. Cook down into a paste until all moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool.

Cream butter and condensed milk till light using paddle attachment.

Add in egg yolk one at a time, and beat until combined.

Mix in flour until mixture becomes a soft and not sticky dough.

Pineapple: 8g balls.

Dough: 10g balls.

After wrapping the tarts, cut a few lines on the tarts to create a pineapple pattern. Apply egg wash.

Alternatively, shape the dough into small disks and place the ball of filling on top.

Bake for 23 minutes or until golden brown at 165°C/330°F.

Cool completely before storing.

Taiwanese v1 - WIP

Ingredients:

  • 350g butter
  • 100g condensed milk
  • 550 g cake flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 ripe pineapples, cut into small pieces

Directions:

Puree pineapples. Cook down into a paste until all moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to touch, form into 20g balls and refrigerate while making the dough.

Cream butter and condensed milk till light using paddle attachment.

Add in egg yolk one at a time, and beat until combined.

Mix in flour until mixture becomes a soft and not sticky dough.

Form dough into 30g balls.

Roll each ball into a large enough circle to completely enclose the filling balls without having to stretch the dough. The dough is soft but not pliable, so it will crack when stretched. Make the edges of the circle thinner than the center, because they’ll gather together when wrapping the tart.

After tart is wrapped into a ball, form into a square or rectangle shape.

Bake for 15 minutes 165°C/330°F. Carefully flip over the tarts. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Cool completely before storing.

Taiwanese v2 (from aunt’s recipe)

Coming soon!

Scones (WIP)

Based on Fifteen Spatulas recipe DID NOT WORK. Find more recipes

Try: https://www.carolinescooking.com/british-scones/

“English style”

Calories:

  • 1992 without liquid
  • 2540 with heavy whipping cream
  • 2092 with whole milk

Ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour (280 g) (still too wet?)
  • Baking powder (4 tsp) (16 g)
  • Salt (1/2 tsp)
  • Sugar (1/4 cup) (49.5 g)
  • Unsalted butter (6 tbsp, room temperature)
  • Egg (1 large)
  • Milk/heavy whipping cream (2/3 cup) (160 g)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

Chop up butter into small pieces. Add butter to dry ingredients and mix with your hands until the texture is sandy and has no more butter lumps.

In a bowl, whisk together milk and egg. Save 2 tbsp for the egg wash later. Pour rest of it into mixing bowl.

Stir to combine wet and dry ingredients until a rough dough forms, then use your hands to form them into a smooth lump of dough.

Place dough on a cutting surface and squash it to about an inch thick.

Cut into desired shapes (I did 16 small triangles).

Place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush tops of scones with reserved egg wash. Bake for about 13-15 minutes until about tripled in height and golden brown on the tops and bottoms.

Croissants (WIP)

Based on New York Times recipe (video)

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 croissants

  • For the Détrempe (dough)
    • 4⅔ cups/605 grams all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
    • ⅓ cup/66 grams granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon/12 grams kosher salt
    • 2¼ teaspoons/7 grams active dry yeast
    • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/214 grams water, at room temperature
    • ½ cup/120 grams whole milk, at room temperature
    • ¼ cup/57 grams unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, chilled
  • For the Butter Block and Assembly
    • 1 ½cups/340 grams unsalted European or European-style butter (3 sticks), chilled
    • All-purpose flour, for rolling
  • For egg wash
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Notes

  • Letting dough sit for a bit after removing from fridge is important; if butter is too hard during roll out, it’ll break instead of spread out

Directions:

Phase 1

  1. Twenty-four hours before serving, start the détrempe: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast, and stir to combine. Create a well in the center, and pour in the water and milk. Mix on low speed until a tight, smooth dough comes together around the hook, about 5 minutes. Remove the hook and cover the bowl with a damp towel. Set aside for 10 minutes.

  2. Reattach the dough hook and turn the mixer on medium-low speed. Add the butter pieces all at once and continue to mix, scraping down the bowl and hook once or twice, until the dough has formed a very smooth, stretchy ball that is not the least bit sticky, 8 to 10 minutes.

  3. Form the dough into a ball and place seam-side down. Using a sharp knife, cut two deep perpendicular slashes in the dough, forming a “+.” (This will help the dough expand into a square shape as it rises, making it easier to roll out later.) Place the dough slashed-side up inside the same mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until about 1½ times its original size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 12.

  4. As the dough chills, make the butter block: Place the sticks of butter side-by-side in the center of a large sheet of parchment paper, then loosely fold all four sides of the parchment over the butter to form a packet. Turn the packet over and use a rolling pin to lightly beat the cold butter into a flat scant ½-inch-thick layer, fusing the sticks and making it pliable. (Don’t worry about the shape at this point.) The parchment may tear. Turn over the packet and unwrap, replacing the parchment with a new sheet if needed. Fold the parchment paper over the butter again, this time making neat, clean folds at right angles (like you’re wrapping a present), forming an 8-inch square. Turn the packet over again and roll the pin across the packet, further flattening the butter into a thin layer that fills the entire packet while forcing out any air pockets. The goal is a level and straight-edged square of butter. Transfer the butter block to the refrigerator.

Phase 2

  1. Eighteen hours before serving, remove the dough from the refrigerator, uncover and transfer to a clean work surface. (It will have doubled in size.) Deflate the dough with the heel of your hand. Using the four points that formed where you slashed the dough, stretch the dough outward and flatten into a rough square measuring no more than 8 inches on one side.

  2. Place 2 pieces of plastic wrap on the work surface perpendicular to each other, and place the dough on top. Wrap the dough rectangle, maintaining the squared-off edges, then roll your pin over top as you did for the butter, forcing the dough to fill in the plastic and form an 8-inch square with straight sides and right angles. Freeze for 20 minutes.

  3. Take butter out from fridge a few minutes early. Remove the butter from the refrigerator and the dough from the freezer. Set aside the butter. Unwrap the dough (save the plastic, as you’ll use it again) and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough, dusting with flour if necessary, until 16 inches long, maintaining a width of 8 inches (barely wider than the butter block). With a pastry brush, brush off any flour from the surface of the dough and make sure none sticks to the surface.

  4. You’re going to enclose the butter block in the dough and roll them out together. To ensure they do so evenly, they should have the same firmness, with the dough being slightly colder than the butter. The butter should be chilled but able to bend without breaking. If it feels stiff or brittle, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Unwrap the butter just so the top is exposed, then use the parchment paper to carefully invert the block in the center of the dough rectangle, ensuring all sides are parallel. Press the butter gently into the dough and peel off the parchment paper. You should have a block of butter with overhanging dough on two opposite sides and a thin border of dough along the other two.

  5. Grasp the overhanging dough on one side and bring it over the butter toward the center, then repeat with the other side of the dough, enclosing the butter. You don’t need the dough to overlap, but you want the two sides to meet, so stretch it if necessary, and pinch the dough together along all seams so no butter peeks out anywhere. Lift the whole block and dust a bit of flour underneath, then rotate the dough 90 degrees, so the center seam is oriented vertically.

  6. Orient the rolling pin perpendicular to the seam and lightly beat the dough all along the surface to lengthen and flatten. Roll out the dough lengthwise along the seam into a 24-inch-long, ¼-inch-thick narrow slab, lightly dusting underneath and over top with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Rather than applying pressure downward, try to push the dough toward and away from you with the pin, which will help maintain even layers of dough and butter. Remember to periodically lift the dough and make sure it’s not sticking to the surface, and try your best to maintain straight, parallel sides. (It’s OK if the shorter sides round a bit — you’re going to trim them.)

  7. Use a wheel cutter or long, sharp knife to trim the shorter ends, removing excess dough where the butter doesn’t fully extend and squaring off the corners for a very straight-edged, even rectangle of dough. Maintaining the rectangular shape, especially at this stage, will lead to the most consistent and even lamination. If at any point in the process you see air bubbles in the dough while rolling, pierce them with a cake tester or the tip of a paring knife to deflate and proceed.

  8. Dust any flour off the dough’s surface. Grasp the short side of the rectangle farther from you and fold it toward the midline of the dough slab, aligning the sides. Press gently so the dough adheres to itself. Repeat with the other side of the dough, leaving an ⅛-inch gap where the ends meet in the middle. Now, fold the entire slab in half crosswise along the gap in the center. You should now have a rectangular packet of dough, called a “book,” that’s four layers thick. This is a “double turn,” and it has now quadrupled the number of layers of butter inside the dough.

  9. Wrap the book tightly in the reserved plastic. If it is thicker than about 1½ inches, or if it’s lost some of its rectangularity, roll over the plastic-wrapped dough to flatten it and reshape it. Freeze the book for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

  10. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out as before (Step 10) into another long, narrow ⅜-inch-thick slab. It should be nice and relaxed, and extend easily. Dust off any excess flour.

  11. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, bringing the top third of the slab down and over the center third, then the bottom third up and over. This is a “simple turn,” tripling the layers. Press gently so the layers adhere. Wrap tightly in plastic again and freeze for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

  12. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, then unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Beat the dough and roll out as before, but into a 14-by-17-inch slab (14 wide 17 long) (15-by-16-inch for pain au chocolat or ham and cheese croissants). The dough will start to spring back, but try to get it as close to those dimensions as possible. Brush off any excess flour, wrap tightly in plastic, and slide onto a baking sheet or cutting board. Freeze for 20 minutes [video doesn’t have the freeze], then chill overnight (8 to 12 hours). If making pain au chocolat or ham and cheese croissants, see recipes.

Phase 3

  1. Four and a half hours before serving, arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Bring a skillet of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer the skillet to the floor of the oven and close the door. (The steam released inside the oven will create an ideal proofing environment.)

  2. As the steam releases in the oven, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap (save the plastic for proofing), place on a very lightly floured surface, and, if necessary, roll out to 17-by-14 inches (3-3.5mm thick). Very thoroughly dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush. Use a wheel cutter or long knife and ruler to cut the shorter sides, trimming any irregular edges where not all the layers of dough fully extend and creating a rectangle that’s exactly 16 inches long, then cut into four 4-by-14-inch rectangles.

  3. Separate the rectangles, then use the ruler and wheel cutter to slice a straight line from opposite corners of one rectangle to form two long, equal triangles. Repeat with the remaining rectangles to make 8 triangles. Trim the short side of each triangle at a slight angle, making them into triangles with longer sides of equal length.

  4. Working one triangle at a time, grasp the two corners of the shorter end, the base of the crescent, and tug gently outward to extend the points and widen the base to about 3 inches. Then, gently tug outward from about halfway down the triangle all the way to the point, to both lengthen the triangle and thin the dough as it narrows. Starting at the base (the short end), snugly roll up the dough, keeping the point centered and applying light pressure. Try not to roll tightly or stretch the dough around itself. Place the crescent on one of the parchment-lined baking sheets, resting it on the point of the triangle. If the dough gets too soft while you’re working, cover the triangles and freeze for a few minutes before resuming rolling. Space them evenly on the baking sheets, four per sheet. Very loosely cover the baking sheets with slightly oiled plastic wrap, so the croissants have some room to expand.

  5. Three and a half hours before serving, open the oven and stick your hand inside: It should be humid but not hot, as the water in the skillet will have cooled. You want the croissants to proof at 70 to 75 degrees. (Any hotter and the butter will start to melt, leading to a denser croissant.) Place the baking sheets inside the oven and let the croissants proof until they’re about doubled in size, extremely puffy, and jiggle delicately when the baking sheet is gently shaken, 2 to 2½ hours. Resist the urge to touch or poke the croissants as they proof: They’re very delicate. Try not to rush this process, either, as an underproofed croissant will not be as light and ethereal.

  6. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes while you heat the oven. Remove the skillet from the oven and heat to 375 degrees.

  7. In a small bowl, stir the yolk and heavy cream until streak-free. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the smooth surfaces of each crescent with the yolk and cream mixture, doing your best to avoid the cut sides with exposed layers of dough.

  8. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks, and continue to bake until the croissants are deeply browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Tip

  • Croissants are best within an hour or two of baking. After that, revive the croissants by warming in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Keep wrapped airtight at room temperature.

12/26/2025

  • Proofed for 4 hours in 70-75F temp range
  • Quite a bit of butter leakage; slight flattening
  • A bit too browned/crunchy
  • Next time, try more proofing; maybe longer rest in fridge before baking; slightly shorter bake time

02/01/2026

  • Final roll out before shaping wasn’t quite 14inch wide; but seemed to proof alright
  • Proofed for 2.5 hours in 73-79F temp range, maybe more towards the higher end. Turned on oven light at 73F, turned light off when it reached back up to 77F. They got THICK
  • Layers post bake:
  • Didn’t brown up as much as first time. Maybe rolling technique wasn’t quite event?
  • Next time
    • try 400F for 20 min total? 3 hr proof?
    • Thinner roll out, make sure it’s around 1/4 inch
    • Could try slightly less cold butter to make the butter block
    • Before rolling triangles, cut small slit at base to spread corners (supposedly helps middle be less dense)

Apple/Pear Cake

Ingredients

  • Slightly over 2lbs apples or pears
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar (200 g original; use 170g)
  • 1.5 cups flour (180g)
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil (170g)
  • 1 table spoon sugar for base of pan (optional)

Tools

  • 8-9 inch pan?

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F
  • Grease pan, parchment paper round, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar (or caramel, but sugar easier prob)
  • Slice cored apples (16 slices per apple)
  • Toss with sugar and cinnamon
  • Beat eggs
  • Mix in sugar
  • Mix in flour mixture until just combined
  • Mix in vegetable oil until oil is no longer visible
  • Arrange apples on bottom of pan
  • Fill pan with rest of apples
  • Pour batter over apples
  • Tap pan to remove bubbles
  • Bake for 50 - 60 min (+25 min with 8 inch pan) or skewer comes out clean (should raise temperature?)
  • Cool to room temp
  • Unstick edges, then flip to serve