Sunday, September 05, 2010

Hokkaido Milky Loaf by Bread Machine

So, it is already 2 am, Friday morning.  Just finished baking Pandan Chiffon Cake and mini-Pandan Chiffon Cake (recipe that came from this 6" paper baking tube pan, manufactured in Japan, $1.50); and MOCHI MOONCAKE with Taro Filling; I might as well wake up to the aroma of fresh baked bread, I thought.  It has been a couple of years since I last baked with my bread machine.  I needed bread, and I resisted buying the ready made ones from the grocery store, so, here I go.  I chose HOKKAIDO MILKY LOAF.  The challenge is to get my bread machine to "knead" long enough to form the needed gluten.  I decided to let it run through the 'Start' cycle's kneading process twice.  After the first kneading cycle, I knew I had to scrape the bowl well.  And, I am glad I did.  I turned it off.  Then, I reset to start the new cycle again.  And set the timer on to bake in 3 hours.  I woke up to the beautiful fragrance of baked bread.
Texture?  I think, if I had let it go through the cycle 4 times, then, it would have reached the lovely beautiful stranded texture known to Asian style bread.  But this suffice my need for now.  The next time, what I will do is pre-knead it by hand and then set in the bread machine to bake with the timer on.  Why pre-knead by hand?  I noticed my 300 kw Kitchen Aid mixer is not powerful enough and taking too long to knead the 4-5 cups flour dough to the desired consistency without the motor becoming too hot to the touch.

Mochi Mooncakes with Taro Filling

Having the advantage of learning the stories of the "Moon Princess" of China and Japan, my improvisation to create this mooncake using SHIRATAMAKO "powder" brought me another adventure.  DAIFUKU Mochi made of SHIRATAMAKO granules has produced soft DAIFUKU that remained soft longer than 3 hours than using the regular MOCHI powder in my testing.  Lasting up to two days + 12 hours in the refrigerator before complete hardening.  But, SHIRATAMAKO granules sold at San Jose MITSUWA, 250 g for $5.39 started to hit my budget, so I ventured out to look for it else where.  I went to Japan Town in San Francisco.  SHIRATAMAKO Powder, 230g for $1.50.   What can go wrong at this price, I thought.  I wanted to test it, and I decided to use it to make the mooncake.  I purchased some mooncakes molds last year - traditional wooden molds and some interesting plastic plunger type molds imported from Singapore.  The plastic plunger type molds have several face plates.  My favorite is the Lotus.  So, I set to work to make the Taro root filling.
Taro root filling:
300 g  Pre-peeled Large Taro, cut into small chunks and cooked (microwaved), and mashed
2 Tbsp Milk
1/2 C sugar

Method:
Microwave the Taro root chunks on a plate with 1 Tbsp of water and covered with microwave plastic cover shield.  Use "potato" setting to cook till tender.  Stir from time to time to make sure that they are cooked evenly and not overcooked to become 'petrified'.
Remove from the microwave and let it steam for few minutes without uncovering.
Add all ingredients in the food processor.  Process until it becomes paste like consistency.

The original filling recipe ... I can't remember which blog it is right now, and I will correct this information later, but was for Sweet Potatoes and 1/4 C milk.  I did mix the milk and sugar and chunk taro roots at the beginning.  But when the putting the taro roots through through the "riser" didn't turn out ideally, I was spoon transferring them to the food processor.  That's when I noticed the consistency of the mixture is already quite soft with just about 2 Tbsp of milk.   I had about 2 Tbsp of milk left and likely some melted sugar in it.  (Luckily the taro root is quite flavorful and has sweet tasting.  If not, add 1/4 C more of sugar.)
Refrigerate for a couple of hours, covered.
Scoop out with 1 Tbsp size cookie scoop onto plate.   *Keep it cold for ease of handling
** Depending on the size of the mooncake molds, cut the size of the filling to 1/2 Tbsp or press out the mooncake skin thin.  ** My personal preference is thick outershell than the filling.

MOCHI MOONCAKE INGREDIENTS:
230 g SHIRATAMAKO "powder" form.
1 Tb Vanilla Sugar powder + 1/4 C minus 1 Tb Sugar
1 Tb MATCHA (Green Tea Powder)
2/3 C water
Japanese Potato Starch - KATAKURIKO 1/2 C

Dough Prep:
In a microwaveable bowl, add 230 g SHIRATAMAKO powder.  In a small saucepan, mix sugar and Matcha together and mix well.  Add 2 Tb of water to mix. 
Then, add some more to mix, so that MATCHA is incorporated; then, add the rest of the water and mix well.  Then, heat the mixture over medium heat till sugar melts, but NOT boiling.
Add the liquid mixture into SHIRATAMAKO powder.  Stir well. 
If the texture looks dry.  Add some more water until pasty consistency is formed.  Ear lobe soft dough.  Not Liquidy.  **The texture is totally different than when using SHIRATAMAKO GRANULES.  (Check my previous blog posting's image on DAIFUKU-MOCHI).
Microwave it 1-1/2 min.  Take it out, mix.  You should see some rubbery formation at the edge of the glass bowl.    *Note:  Nuking time depends on the power of your microwave.
Return to microwave for another 1-1/2 min.  But stop at 45 sec to bring out to stir.  Is it rubbery and translucent?  The ultimate result you want is "translucent" stage MOCHI.  Stir with sturdy spoon to mix the dough to help incorporate mixture.  Return to microwave again, if needed, to nuke it till it is at 'transluscent' stage, but not petrified. Be careful - it is dead hot -  Take it out and Stir crazy.  So, you need to know your microwave's power.

Transfer to the plate sprinkled with KATAKURIKO.  Cool to Medium Hot. 
Measure with sight and snap off approx two tablespoon of mochi. 
Powder your fingers with KATAKURIKO and start pressing it out into round shape. 
Place one taro filling.  Start enclosing it in BAO making method. 
Then, roll it in KATAKURIKO completely.  Set aside until you have created at least 4 filled rounds.
Then, Select the mooncake mold.  Insert the rounded mochi with filling into the mold.
Place the mold down on work surface covered with KATAKURIKO.
Press down on plunger without letting any mochi leak out from the molding's end.
"Pressing down the plunger" also imprints the 'design'/'pattern' of the mold onto the MOCHI.
Lift the mold off the work surface.
Push the plunger down to push the finished mooncake out.
Surprise!!  MOCHI MOONCAKE!

When I was making the DAIFUKU MOCHI with the SHIRATAMAKO Granules, I had to work quickly to enlcose the filling.  But when I was working to make the MOCHI MOONCAKE, I remembered how cotton soft the outer MOCHI to the touch when DAIFUKU is formed.  This would not work well when you need the finished product to hold the shape after unmolding from the mooncake mold.  I noticed, as I was exploring and timing how quickly it starts to mishape after unmolding, the MOCHI dough started to cool, and as I worked with the cooled MOCHI, the finished MOCHI MOONCAKE kept the pattern and the shape better.  So, my advice is to let the MOCHI cool to Medium hot.  Prepare at least 4 filled rounds.
Then, start forming in the mooncake mold.
*Make sure the filld rounds are covered completely in KATAKURIKO to prevent from sticking onto the molds.
Keep in covered container.  Then individually wrap in plastic wrap or in gift box.
My first round is a success.  So, I have two more weeks to turn out moon cake varieties in time for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival for my family.

Pandan Chiffon Cake with Strawberries

This is the Pandan Chiffon Cake version made with home prepared fresh coconut cream and freshly squeezed pandan juice. I find this adventure as fun as Canneles de Bordeaux. Simple ingredients, yet the mixing technique or the baking temp can break the cake.
The recipe is the same as the last posting (from Seadragon). The photo shows the texture of the cake with larger pores than the 1st cake--very fine, pound cake like texture. I forgot to give it a quick snap tap before I put the pan in the oven. The moisture is just as great, however. Taste - great taste! Just the thought that you labored over squeezing the fresh coconuts cream and pandan juice really make the cake taste even better. If I have eggs from home raised chicken will add another plus to the taste bud, especially we are experiencing the Salmonella recalls on eggs.
The memorable part of producing fresh coconut cream and pandan juice this time will stay with me for a long time. Anytime I think about making my own fresh coconut milk/cream, I think about this metal bar coconut shredder tool of Viet-Nam. Well, that was back in the 70's. I don't have the shredder tool nor the time. It is already 8 pm on Thursday evening. I just got back from SF Supermarket in Sacramento after work. I luckily found Pandan leaves - "La Dau" is the descripton on the package. I also picked up Large Taro Root, and Wow! I found Drangon Fruits --- Wow! $3.99 a pound. But I can't possibly pass this chance. I bought two of them - $eleven Bucks!! I hope it will taste good when I try my hand on the Dragon fruit Sherbet bom bom I saw. So, where was I.... yes, the coconuts. I got one 'old' coconut and one 'young' coconut. I enclosed it in a plastic grocery bag and hammered down hard on the 'old' coconut's eyes. Yep! thick white coconut meat. Pour the juice into a bowl, filter it once through a strainer. Then, I used the pairing knife and remove the tough membrane-peel off the white meat. Cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks. Keep chunks in the juice to keep moist. Wash Pandan leaves thoroughly, cut the bottom steam - about 3 to 4 inches - ** this is my first time working with Pandan, and by 'touch' I find the stem to be quite tough. So I am guessing, like Broccoli or Asparagus to cut back some to the tender point? Cut the leaves into 1 to 2 inches. Add 1/2 C water + Cut Pandan leaves into food processor. Process it till it is .... wait, what's going on? I don't see any juice. It seems that the leaves have drank all the water. I barely see any juice or sqeezeable juice. So, what is going on here? I have the slightest clue because I have never seen this Pandan before nor how it is processed.
      Let me think about this. 
Back to the tool of choice to shred the coconut to produce coconut cream/milk... Of all the tools I have - 
Option 1: I could use the blender and puree it with some of its own juice, then squeeze. 
Option 2: Use the food processor. 
But after some thought, I decided on the "The Juiceman Jr." I might be able to produce the coconut cream and finely shreded coconuts that I can process further to get coconut milk. Bingo! I got the freshest and creamiest thick coconut cream. While it may be risky to use the Juiceman - as the coconut meat is quite hard, I was not sure if the Juiceman's fine shredder teeth could handle it. 
1 'old' coconut + 1/4 C coconut juice produced 175 ml coconut cream and 2 C finely shredded coconut. 
Back to the Pandan leaves. I was not about to give up on $5 worth of 15 Pandan leaves. The Juiceman is the answer. I processed the Pandan leaves with the Juiceman and I got 75 mil of Pandan juice. Whew! but wow! that's all? (I wonder how much do Pandan leaves cost in Malaysia or Singapore.)
Instead of oil, I used 2 oz of soft butter. Chill. The next day, I whip up a pint of heavy whip cream... it is not enough to cover the cake. I should have prepared the pastry cream, additionally. But I have to make a do with it. We enjoyed every bite of the fresh taste of this Chiffon cake.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

5 Minutes Breads and Soups

On my blogsite, there is a link to the YouTube Culinary Science video.  I noticed that one of the link is a demo on how to prep bread dough in 5 minutes and on the next day you have artisan bread for supper.  I thought I give it a try since I posted it there.  The bread turn out great.  The first bread was a tester, but it turned out just in time for my lunch with Chicken soup (canned).  Then, the next bread #2 turned out wonderful and finished in time for my supper.  I even had enough time to crop fresh corn from my garden and made them into soup.
So, the "5 Minutes a Day Bread" is worth giving it a try.  I might even buy the book.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Pandan Chiffon Cake II

Here is how my Pandan Chiffon Cake with Butter, no vege oil, turned out.
I used the same recipe from the previous Pandan Chiffon Cake.  I omitted the vegetable oil and replaced it with 2 oz of butter.  I was careful to whip the egg whites to stiff peak but not dry, then fold it in gently to the egg and flour mixture.  This time the cake volume is higher than before.  The cake rose about an inch during the baking.  It is not as high as the Seadragon's Pandan Chiffon Cake.  In her photo, her cake rose above the rim.  I made sure the tube pan I am using is the same size.  The texture is not as 'fine' when the vege oil was mixed in.  But this is too early to decide if that is the reason.  I will need to bake a few more times.  It maybe because I have over beaten the eggs . . .  The cake is moist just like the Pandan Chiffon Cake I made previously.  It tastes delicious still - light and moist.   I am trying to upload the video to YouTube of how I folded the egg whites into the egg/butter mixtures, but it is taking a long time.
After over an hour, my video recording of mixing egg whites got uploaded to the YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UMECHANKICKS?feature=mhum  And I am happy to see so many other How To's at YouTube related to Chiffon Cake making.  I spent over an hour studying how others are doing it.  And I am convinced that mixing with bare hand would be the best method to mix the egg whites... and I would like to try that next. 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Chiffon Cake Testing

This is how my Chiffon Cake testing turned out. The recipe is from Happy Home Baking http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2010/08/breakfast-chiffon.html
Her work is always an inspiration for me. I was limited with time, so, I quickly tried the basic ingredients. Okay, I misread her baking pan size. So, my tube pan is the regular size. If it had been the small angel food cake tube pan, it would have looked normal. It looks like a wheel. I think that's how the wheels are invented...
It taste so good that I did not make time to make any frosting or cream... I should have. Maybe not this time round, but I will try to give it a finished look the next time.



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Pandan Chiffon Cake Adventure

PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE - doesn't it sound mysterious and delicious? I came across this recipe while visiting few of my favorite food blogsites (listed under "My Inspiration". ) I always wonder what that peculiar flavorful aroma I smell when I go near Asian pastry with 'green' color to them. I thought it was coconuts. After understanding that 'stuff' is Pandan - I went to the local Asian market in Sacramento to search for it. I found the fresh Pandan leaves. It was named Landau or something like that. I was not sure what it was, so I asked other shoppers, and they confirmed that it is Pandan leaves. Sadly, after the purchase, my work got so busy, I did not have the time to prepare it. So, after a week, I had to discard them. But I had Pandan Paste in my pantry from the previous week's shopping. (I was bit hesitant to use it because of the food coloring, but I only used a drop... it turned out beautiful color and added a delightful complimentary taste to the coconut flavor.) I didn't have fresh coconut meat to shave either. So, I used coconut powder mix to suffice. It brought back the memory of how we used to shave the fresh coconut meat with a shaver and squeeze the fresh milk out -- that was a good ole' days in S. Viet-Nam. In San Jose area, there are several bakeries (Hong Kong style) in 99Ranch that are quite popular. And many people love their cakes. I could not figure out what type of cakes they are. Now, I know--it is this Chiffon. The recipe for this Pandan Chiffon Cake is from the Seadragon's site at http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/pandan-chiffon-cake/#comment-1635 As many other experienced bloggers have commented at both Happy Home Baking site or at Seadragon, the final gentle folding of the egg white is indeed challenging. This Pandan Chiffon Cake turned out great. Baked in the Angel Food Cake Tube pan. Baking at 160C. I read other bloggers' comments that baking at lower temperature prevents cracking at the top during the rise. Irregardless, I am very pleased with the result and taste. It looks great and yummy.



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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Melon Rum Flavored Canneles

I thought I would try baking Canneles de Bordeaux using Melon flavor Rum.  But ... I should have stayed with the Dark Rum.  Tonight's testing was to bake test with melon flavor rum, and using silicon baking mold.   Even though I do not have a "silicone Canneles molds", I improvised the regular silicone baking mold to test.
The baking result:   The copper canneles molds are still the best.   The aluminum canneles molds did a good job.   The silicone baking mold did not caramelize the outer part of the Canneles as copper and aluminum molds did.  But, it turned out interesting, I think. 
Taste testing:   The Canneles baked in silicon mold's outer shell did not pass the Canneles' egg shell crunchiness.   Even after 1 hr 40 min of baking, the caramelization is not 100%.  The texture is chewy.


I made petite canneles rather than the usual demi size because I wanted to quickly bake and find out the result.














Summer Garden Vegetable Lasagna

So, what to do with pounds of beautiful home grown Romano Tomatoes that my friend game me? and Eggplants?  and Bell Peppers?  I had a couple of ideas, but I chose to make Lasagna.
Lasagna seems so simple to make.  A layer of this and a layer of that.  But, the Lasagna pasta is not very forgiving to prepare since all our pots are round, and they are rectangle.  But I came across this pre-cooked lasagna.  It seems that all I need to do is add them between the layers of sauce.  I tried it and I love it.
Ingredients:
8 to 9 lasagna pasta, "No Boil Required"  by Barilla
1 small red onions - chopped
2 small green bell peppers (optional), chopped
3 Tbsp Traditional Basil Pesto sauce
3 lb Ripe Romano Tomatoes, washed, seeded and cut into chunks
10 pieces of Chicken strips grilled in George Foreman's Hamburger grill
1-1/4 lb Japanese eggplants, sliced and grilled in George Foreman's Hamburger grill
1/2 C Sun dried tomatoes - rehydrated in 1/2 C hot water
1-1/2 lb shredded Mozzarella cheese
Sea Salt - 1/2 Tbsp
1 tsp black pepper
1 jar - 24 oz Classico Spicy Tomatoes & Pesto sauce
1 Tbsp butter, unsalted
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Oregano.  Add 1 Tbsp at a time to taste.

Pan:  9x9x2-1/2 baking dish or any others, but don't forget to increase the amount of lasagna pasta.
Baking Temp:  Bake covered in aluminum foil at 400'F until the internal temperature reaches 165'F or higher and bubbly.
Preparation: 
Slice eggplants lengthwise and grill in George Foreman's countertop hamburger grill.  It should be somewhat translucent.  Cut with scissors into smaller pieces.  Set aside.
Grill chicken strips.  Tear apart into smaller strips.  Set aside

Saute onions in butter and olive oil till translucent.  Then, add bell peppers. Stir fry 1 min.
Lower heat and add Traditional Basil Pesto.  Stir to incorporate.
Add Romano Tomatoes.  Add salt, black pepper, and 1 Tbsp Oregano.   Turn to medium high heat. Cook 3 min.
Medium low heat - Add Spicy Tomatoes and Pesto sauce.  Taste and add more salt and Oregano, if needed.  Stir and cook till heated through.

Time to assemble -Preheat oven to 400'F.  Have aluminum foil handy.  Extra baking pan or sheet to catch spill.
In the baking dish:
1.  Add tomato sauce
2.  Add lasagna pasta
3.  Add tomato sauce
4.  Add Mozarella
5.  Add eggplant pieces
6.  Add chicken pieces
7.  Add Mozzarella
8.  Add sauce
9.  Add lasagna pasta
10.  Add sauce
11. Add Mozarella
Wrap up in Aluminum foil and place on top of baking sheet or another larger size baking pan.
Bake till bubbly and internal temperature reaches 165'F+.  Approx. 1 hr 40 min+













Taste test:  Delicious.  I am sure there are other ones out there that is also.  But I got to use all the homegrown veges in one dish, and thank goodness for the "no boiling required" lasagna pasta and George Foreman's grill.  It saved me time. I would consider to omit the bell peppers after stir frying them.  I tasted bitterness in the outer peel.  May be peel the bell pepper before stir frying?  that may be a good idea.