Gorgeous Fresh Water Chestnuts

This is fresh water chestnuts.  They look like a hard shelled flower tuber of some sort.  The first time I encountered it was back in South Viet-Nam.  The street Fruit vendor was selling an interesting strands of white round objects on a bamboo sticks.  Since I missed Japanese MITARASHI YAKI DANGO so much, I thought that was it!   Surprise! it was a crispy, sweet, fresh water chestnuts.  Yes, the good fresh water chestnuts, when peeled should be white, firm, and when bitten into, it is crispy and with some sandy texture like body.   Eat them fresh or chop them up and mix with ground pork to make sweet and sour meat balls or Lion Head meat balls, for example.  They will add a different dimension to the meat balls.  When you are peeling them with a pairing knife - in a round circular motion as though peeling apple, if there are any sign of 'yellow', cut that section off and discard.  After peeling them, chill them.  Eat them! 
So, Enjoy some chilled fresh water chestnuts during the summer. 

Fresh Strawberries with Chantilly served with Buttermilk Biscuits

It's Strawberry season, and I find the fluffy buttermilk biscuits perfect for serving with it.
Buttermilk biscuit recipes: http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2013/03/buttermilk-biscuit-testing-butter-or.html
or
http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2013/04/chef-kadens-buttermilk-biscuits-and.html

Polly's Pandan Coconut Chiffon Cake

After several testings, the following flour measurement turned out the best chiffon cake with least collapsed structure during the cooling time.

INGREDIENTS:
7 large egg yolks           *eggs are Kirkland brand (COSTCO's) brown organic Large eggs

60 g Ultrafine sugar or regular granulated sugar

60 ml pandan juice, from 12 pandan leaves - Processed in juice processor and blender

125 ml thick coconut milk, from 1 grated coconut - Processed thru juice processor (View previous blog or video)  http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/p/recipes-slide-show.html

125 ml vegetable oil

***160 g Home made pastry flour
                 ****Shift first, then weigh it.  *See note at the bottom of this page.

7 large egg whites

1/4 tsp salt

110 g Ultrafine sugar or regular granulated sugar

METHODS:

In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, 60 g sugar, pandan juice, coconut milk, vegetable oil in a bowl just to incorporate them.   Add flour and mix well, but do not develop gluten.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 160'C or 325'F for 1 Chiffon.   (350'F for 2 Chiffons in the same gas oven.)

In a separate clean bowl, whip egg whites.

As it starts to foam, add salt.

Add 110 g sugar in slow stream and whip till stiff peak is formed - Medium speed - about 8 minutes.

Fold the egg whites into the egg mixtures in thirds.

Mix well with whisk then, spatula.

** Mix gently but thoroughly - the mixture should be shiny without any egg whites bits left.

Fill the Angel Food cake mold, tap down the cake pan firmly on a solid surface to release any trapped air bubbles.

Bake for about 50-55 minutes (depending on your oven's BTU) *Check at 45 min for color on the top and slight separation of the cake from the side of the pan and color.

*Be ware that Teflon coated Angel Food Cake pan would brown lot faster than the aluminum cake pan and takes less time to complete the baking.

"Wow! this one really puffed up!"

 

Remove from oven and gently tap the pan again once.    Immediately turn the pan upside-down - use cups or drinking glasses to elevate the pan, if necessary, or invert the cake pan over a baking sheet on cake pan's own footings and let cool completely.

( There will be some shrinkage.)

 When completely cooled, set it right side up and use a plastic knife to loosen the cake all around.

 Remove cake from the pan, slice and serve.   

This cake formula can be used to make various shaped cake and frosted.

HOMEMADE PASTRY FLOUR RATIO:
185 g AP Flour + 90 g Cake Flour   Then measure 160 g and add to the mixture