Mini Pandan Flavoured Snowskin Mooncake

Ingredients

Snowskin Dough

• 150g Fried Glutinous rice flour [You will need about another 5og for dusting so prepare 200g flour]
• 200g icing sugar
• 100g shortening
• 180ml water
• 3 pandan leaves
• 1 teaspoon pandan paste
• Mooncake Mould
  

Filling

• 500g lotus paste
• 50g melon seed

Method

1. Boil water with pandan leaves for 10 minutes. [Tie it into a knot for enhanced flavour.]
2. Heat off and leave to cool.
3. Add in pandan paste and stir till dissolved. Leave in refrigerator to chill.
4. Toast melon seeds 160°C for 10 mins.
5. Add the seeds with lotus paste and form into each small ball. [About 30g should be sufficient]
6. Sift icing sugar into a large mixing bowl.
7. Add fried glutinous rice flour, snow powder and shortening into the bowl. [Fried rice flour is used as it is cooked beforehand already and recipe does not require cooking of the mooncake.]
8. Mix well with spatula till mixture turns into bread crumb texture.
9. Add the cold pandan water into crumb-like flour mixture and mix well with spatula to form soft dough.
10. Remove the soft dough from mixing bowl and place it on a floured [With the fried glutinous rice flour] table top.
11. Knead for few seconds to form into a dough ball. [Over kneading will cause the dough to be tough due to gluten formation!]
12. Rest dough for 10 minutes.
13. Roll out the dough into thin layer using a rolling pint. [The thinner the better. Imagine eating the mooncake with a thick skin. :S]
14. Cut out some dough and fill in lotus paste.
15. Seal and shape it into ball.
16. Lightly pat just a little fried glutinous rice flour all over the cake ball and flour the mooncake mould.
17. Place cake ball into the mould and press firmly. [The imprint of the mould would be faint if insufficient strength is used to press firmly.]
18. Over turn the mould to knock the cake out from mould.
19. Repeat steps till all ingredients used and refrigerate.
20. Serve chilled.

Boiled pandan leave and water.

Add pandan paste.

Toasted melon seeds.

Lotus paste and melon seed mixture shaped.
[Add desired amount of melon seed. If dont like, dont add! :) ]

Sift icing sugar.

Mixture of sugar, flour and shortening.

Mixed into breadcrumb texture.

Add pandan mixture that was chilled.

Mixed to a soft dough.

Flour tabletop and knead dough.

Kneaded dough. :)

Cut dough into desired size and place lotus ball mixture.

Seal it up carefully.
[If not you'll have lotus paste peeking out of the surface!]

Place the cake call into the mould and press firmly.

A finished pandan flavoured snowskin mooncake!

Makes about 30 mini mooncake.

Plain Souffle (Whisking Method)

Ingredients

• 25g butter
• 25g flour
• 1cup diluted evaporated milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 25g castor sugar
• 3 egg whites
• Few drops vanilla essence
  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 210deg.C.
   
2. Grease a ramekin. [Meaning = small baking 'cup']
3. Line the base and sides with a piece of grease proof paper and grease it.
4. Melt butter then add flour and stir until smooth. [This is called a roux 'roo' = cooked mixture of equal parts butter and flour. Why heat and melt butter? To clarify it by removing water present and prevent lumping.]
5. Cook well and cool it slightly. [Cook well to prevent a starchy taste and cool the roux to prevent splattering. You would not want that!]
6. Add milk and stir until boiling. Cook for 2mins.
7. Beat the yolks and sugar with a whisk until creamy and add to the mixture a little at a time. Beating well after each addition.
   
8. Whisk egg whites stiffly. [Eggs whites whipped at room temperature forms foam better while fats contamination from egg yolk prevents foam forming properly!]
9. Fold in the cooked mixture into the egg whites, add flavorings and pour into the prepared ramekin.
10. Put to bake on the top shelf for 30-40mins.
11. Serve hot.
    

*Variations:
To change to coffee souffle = 1tsp of coffee essence instead of vanilla essence. Chocolate souffle = 1tbsp blended cocoa powder into mixture.

Grease and line with paper then grease again

Clarified butter

Add flour and mix well

Sit until smooth
[Roux should be stiff, not runny and pourable]

After cooling, add milk and beat well
[Slowly pour in the liquid and beat vigorously with a wire ship to prevent lumping]

Cook for 2 mins until boiling

Beat yolk and castor sugar until creamy

Add to cooked mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition

Whisk egg white until stiff peak
[Using an electric mixer would be faster and less tiring on your hands.]

Fold in the mixture into in egg white
[Remember to use the folding method and not mix. Also note its mixture INTO egg white. Not the other way round!]

After folding and adding of vanilla essence

Pour mixture the ramekin
[Fill it to about 2/3 full. Egg white causes the dish to puff up and expand when baked due to the air incorporated inside the mixture during whipping. This gives souffle its lightness and assists with leavening.]

After baking

Present and serve hot

Tuna Flan (Short Crust Pastry - Rubbing-in Method)

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 100g plain flour
• 50g butter
  
• Pinch of salt
• 2-4 tbsp cold water [I used 2tbsp. Depending on your dough. Add more if too dry.]

Filling:

• 50g canned tuna*
• 1/2 large onion (chopped)
• 1 tomato (cut finely)
• 1 spring onion (cut finely)
• 1 chill (cut finely)
• 2 medium eggs
• 2 tbsp water
• A pinch of salt and pepper
  

Method

1. Grease a medium size pie tin. (or 2 small ones)
2. Preheat oven to 190 deg.C.
3. Prepare ingredients for fillings and mix them well together. [This is called mise en place! In french term meaning = everything in place]
4. Beat eggs, water, salt and pepper together.
5. Make pastry by rubbing in method.**
   
6. Roll out pastry to about 1/2cm and line the pie tin.
7. Prick the base, then put in the filling. [You may bake blind the pastry. That is, to bake the pastry without the filling first for about 10mins to ensure the pastry becomes fully cooked.]
8. Bake for 10mins, then lower to 160 deg.C and bake until egg sets and pastry is crisp and brown. [The egg sets due to protein coagulation. Recall? Protein denaturates under heat.]
9. Remove flan from tin, cool and serve.

*Variations:
To change to a chicken flan, you may use 2 chicken sausages instead.

** Rubbing-in Method:
1.Sift flour and salt together.
2.Cut fat into flour, rub with fingertips until mixture resembles bread crumbs.
3.Make a well in the centre, add water and mix to a pliable dough.

Greased with butter

Mise en place

Sifting of flour and salt
[To incorporate air and prevent lumps in flour]

Rubbing fat into flour

Breadcrumb texture

Make a well in the centre and add the water

Mixed to a pliable dough

Roll it out using a rolling pint
[Add a little flour to prevent sticking]

Line the tin then prick it using a fork
Add the fillings and.......
Bake until the egg sets

Present and serve!
[Give height to your food by 'stacking' it. This makes your dish look more presentable.]

Plain Buns (Rubbing-in method)

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 50g Fat
• 50g Sugar
• 1/2 egg + milk (2 tablespoon of mixture)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method

1. Heat up oven. (200 Degree Celsius / Gas Reg. 7)
2. Grease a patty tin cases or use paper cases for these cakes. [To prevent it from sticking to the case after baking]
3. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a big bowl.
4. Add sugar into the sifted mixture.
5. Rub the fat with the fingertips into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. [Fat = solid soften butter]
6. Pour in the beaten egg, milk and vanilla essence.
7. Stir to a dropping consistency.
8. Fill the mixture into patty tins or paper cases [About three quarters full]
9. Bake it in the preheated oven on the middle shelf of temperature 200 Degree Celsius or Gas Reg. 7 for 5 minutes and then lower the heat to 190 Degree Celsius or Gas Reg. 6 for another 15 minutes.

Grease the paper cases with melted butter.

Weigh the ingredients
[Remember to minus off the weight of the equipment!]

Sift the flour,salt and baking powder into a big bowl.

Add fat into sifted flour mixture and rub fat with the fingertips
into the flour until it resembles breadcrumb.

Resemble breadcrumbs with added 2 tablespoon of beaten
egg and milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence.

Stir mixture until dropping consistency.

[Do not overstir the mixture! Careful!]

Fill mixture into the paper cases.
[For a 'smmother' look, roll the mixture into a ball first.
For a 'rougher' rock bun look, just spoon mixture into the paper cases]

Ready to eat plain bun!
[Not so plain afterall with the sweetness!
This is the smooth look (Mixture rolled into a ball]