Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is surely my all-time-favorite dessert.  I love this just because it has all the balanced combinations.  This lemony bliss consists of three delicate layers of heaven.  Each layer gives different texture and flavor.  The flaky buttery crust base brings something to chew.  The fresh citrusty lemon filling is so velvety smooth and creamy, while packs with real punch of sourness and tartness from lemon.  For the meringue on top, it has billowy and toasty touch.  The sweetness from the meringue definitely balances out the sour taste from lemon curd.  So what's not to love?

Let's start with the base.  I have been sticking with this pie crust recipe ever since I discovered it.  In the past, I always cheated the pie base by using crumbed Ritz crackers with added melted butter.  I won't put so much description for this base recipe in this post because it is exactly the same with the previous one. (please check this one out, pumpkin pie)

While waiting for my pie base to bake, I prepare my curd.  Bring to boil: water, sugar, salt, lemon juice and cornstarch.  Once it got thicken, reduce the heat and drop egg yolks in - one at a time - still keep stirring.  Becareful that egg can be curdling when cook too quick or too long.  Then remove them from the heat and add in your butter cubes and lemon zest.  Stir well until all butter has melted and they all are well combined. 

By then your pie shell is definitely ready.  So pour all your lemon curd into pre-baked shell.  Then set them aside for now.  Do not keep the filling in the fridge as we want it to stay hot when we top it with meringue.  This can help reducing the chance of meringue to collapse.  Also, the heat from filling will instantly cook the bottom part of meringue, make it much less likely to shrink.  

After that, prepare your meringue.  It is very simple and easy.  In a clean and dry bowl, whisk your egg whites until slightly foamy then gradually add the sugar as well as cream of tartar.  Continue beating for a few more minutes, until glossy and stiff peaks form. 

Where cream of tartar is not available, you can replace it with ½ teaspoon of lemon juice.  

Flip over head test

In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 190 degree celcius.  Then pipe or spoon the meringue mixture over the top while the filling is still hot.  Any looks from the traditional mounting and spiky to the fancy kisses shapes, whatsoever, making sure that meringue should completely cover until the crust edge.  This will allow the meringue to hold onto the crust so the two do not separate. 

Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the peak has the nice golden color.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before chilling it for couple more hours in the fridge. For slicing the pie, use the knife that has been dipped in hot water to prevent the meringue from collapsing when we slice it. This lemon meringue delight could be store up to three days in the refrigerator before it goes watery and wilted. But I do not think it will last that long anyway.

Pie Base Recipe Plain flour 1½ cups Caster sugar 2 tbsp Chilled butter, chopped 120 gr Water 2 tsp I like to add a pinch of salt (optional) Method 1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor     and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.     You can knead the base using hand, if processor is not available 2. Add water and pulse to combine. 3. Gently knead until smooth. 4. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 5.  Roll out the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to line      a deep 9" pie tin with removable base.  Or just using hand. 6. Prick well with a fork. 7. Bake in preheated 190⁰C oven for 10 minutes.     Pie weights are not necessary

  

Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Recipe For the lemon filling Egg yolks 4 large eggs Cornstarch 3 tbsp Water 60 ml Sugar 120 gr Salt ¼ tsp Butter 5 tbsp Lemon juice ½ cup Lemon zest 1 tbsp For the meringue topping Egg white 4 large eggs Caster sugar 8 tbsp Cream of tartar 1 pinch (½ tsp of lemon juice can be used instead of cream of tartar)   Method 1. Prepare your crust base. 2. In a pot, combine water, cornstarch, sugar, salt and lemon juice     bring to boil. 3. Reduce the heat and add in egg yolks one at a time while keep stirring. 4. Remove from heat and add in butter cubes and lemon zest. 5. Stir until butter melted and well combined. Pour onto your pre-baked shell. 6. Preheat the oven to 190⁰C 7. Make the meringue by beating egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.     Until glossy and stiff peaks form.  8. Spoon or pipping the meringue on top of the hot lemon filling.     Cover all of the filling.  It allows the meringue to hold onto the crust     So the two do not separate. 9. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the peak turns golden. 10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Then chill it in the fridge for       couple of hours before slicing and serving.

 

Crumbed Fish and Chips

Who doesn't like an easy yet delicious dinner?  Tonight, as I need to look after one kid and one baby in the home, I need something that effortless and flavorsome dish.  This crumbed fish and chips is super easy to make.  I used a pegasius fillet fish for this dish but other types of fillet like basa or cod fillet also made a great dish.  

Firstly, prepare the dry ingredients on the plate, flour, beaten egg and panko bread crumbs, all in a separate plate.  For the flour, combine it with some seasoning, like salt, pepper, and abit of chili powder or paprika powder for adding some punch to the fish.  In another plate or wide bowl, lightly beaten the egg, then leave it aside.  On the last plate, fill in with some bread crumbs.  If panko bread crumbs is not available, you can also use the ordinary bread crumbs. 

After that, cut your fish fillet into a fish-finger size and flavoring it with some salt and pepper evenly.  Then, dip them first in the flour and shake out some excess flour.  Next, coat them with beaten egg and lastly cover them with bread crumbs.  Repeat the same process and do it for all the fish. 

First plate is seasoned flour

Second bowl is beaten egg

Third bowl is panko bread crumbs

Once you are ready for deep frying, heat the oil in the pan until the bubble is sticking on the chopstick when inserted in the hot oil.  Fry them in batches so it won't be too overcrowded.  Flip them over time and cook until golden brown.  After you finished with fish, jump onto frying the chips. 

In the mean time, make your dipping sauce.  You can use the store-brought tartar sauce or make this sweet chilli mayo sauce.  What you need to do is combining the same portion of sweet chilli and mayo and stir them well. 

One or two pieces already in my mouth before it reaches the dining table.  So mouthwatering....  So crunchy....  So delightful....

Sweet chilli mayo dipping sauce

What I did with leftover egg is deep frying them on that oil.  Slowly drop your egg in the hot oil through the strainer so it will create some crispy egg floss.  Break them up and cook until light brown then drain them on the paper towel.

This prepartion and cooking time took me about half an hour but yet I can do something else meanwhile when frying.  But it only took 10 minutes for us to munch them all.  Now, all done and dusted...  Good night everyone and Octie Appetie....

Spaghetti Bolognese

This is my version of spaghetti bolognese.  Italians may be crying when looking at this recipe.  There are major changes to make this dish tone with my palate.  So, let's find out how I normally make my style of spaghetti bolognese.

Always gather all your ingredients before you start stir-frying.  It will be very handy.  In this my-own-version of bolognese, I prepared minced garlic, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, sliced chilies, minced pork, sausages, Prego traditional pasta sauce.  And for seasoning, I have some salt, pepper and sugar.

Starting with stir-frying chopped garlic and sliced chilies on your hot pan with some oil until fragrant.  Then add in minced pork.  Cook the pork until nearly done then add in your chopped onion.  I like to put onions in after the meat cooked, so they will be slighly undercook and can stay crunchy.  After that, add chopped tomatoes, sausages, and pasta sauce.  I also add a little bit water because I want it to be saucy or I could say it'd rather soupy.  About quater of a can of water for each pasta can you use.

Once the cooking is nearly done, add your seasoning.  And tasted according to your preference.  Sugar is one of the main seasoning in this recipe.  So my pasta sauce came out slightly to the sweeter side.  But it is so delicious....  Bring them to boil and remove from heat and set them aside.

Now, jump onto the pasta noodle itself, boil water on a pot with a dollop of salt.  Once the water bubbling add in your pasta and cook them for 12 minutes or so depending of how you like to have your pasta.  

The trick to make your pasta not sticking together is by adding a splash of olive oil right after your drain the pasta.

Instead of serving the pasta and sauce separately, I like to combine them together.  Therefore, the noodle absorbs the juices from pasta sauce very well.  Bring the dish to the next level.

Not forget to add some grated parmesan on top as well.  What can I say, it was just yummm... yummmm... and yummmmm....

You can also store the leftover pasta in the fridge and taste even better after reheating it.  Because the pasta and sauce are well married and got along together thoroughly.

Soft Milk Bun Recipe

I always love baking.  I can try to bake any eye-catching new recipe of desserts and cakes.  But as much as I wanted, whenever I saw the recipe of making bread-on-my-own, I got terrified.  But again, it was totally in the past.  Now, I can say that I am a bread-maker pro.  Thanks to this tangzhong recipe that I found from the internet.  

By adding this simple little new technique, makes my bread always springy and soft even after storing them for three days.  Tangzhong adds more moisture to the bread.  How to make it, is very simple and easy too.  Get a sauce pan and put together bread flour and water.  Stir until combine before putting it on the heat.  Medium heat will do the job, because this mixture can easily get burned.  Keep stirring until the mixture turns thick, slurry and glossy, by then this tangzhong is done.  Put them aside, cover with cling wrap and let it cool before adding it to the dough mixture.

Tangzhong

Proofed yeast

Next, we need to prepare our yeast.  Put warm water in a bowl and pour in the yeast as well as one teaspoon of sugar then give them a little stir and put some cover on top.  Leave it for 10 minutes and you will see those bubbles floating on the water.  Then it means it is ready to be used.

After that, gather all ingredients for the dough.  I kinda breaking the rules here and it works.  I combine all ingredients in a whisking bowl in one go.  Flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, tangzhong and yeast mixture, they all inside the bowl at the same time all set to be stirred.  I do this way everytime and I still get my desired result.

Whisk the mixture for about eight to ten minutes.  Start with low speed until it forms a sticky mass then increase the speed to medium high speed until it reaches an elastic ball shape.  From a sticky dough, it will eventually turns into an elastic dough and it will slide down from the dough hook as well.

Another way to check whether your dough is ready or not is by performing stretch test, the dough can be stretch and creating a semi-transculent film without breaking it.  We are halfway through now.  Keep your dough in an oiled bowl and cover it with cling wrap or wetted kitchen towel until it doubled.  Brushing your bowl with oil will help when taking the dough out.  Thanks to oil, it makes life easier.  Oil is also can be used on your shaping mat instead of flour.  I found it is much more convenient and efficient.

Once the dough are set to rolling and shaping, remove it out from the bowl and transfer it to a rolling mat.  As I mentioned earlier that you can brush the mat with oil instead of flour to reduce some stickiness, but again if you need to, otherwise this recipe won't necessarily require any extra oil.  Then lighly punch down and knead the dough in order to help releasing the air trapped in the dough.   

Next, divide your dough in uniforming weight.  If you are making dinner rolls or plain bread rolls, after you scaling them into individual sizes, just round it to shape into a smooth round ball.  Then transfer them to a tray and wait for another 10 minutes or until it doubles in size for the second proofing stage.  

If you want to put any topping on your bread like I do with some floss pork.  You need to do the above steps up to the second proofing phase before doing the topping.  But do it gently and without pinching the proofed dough otherwise your bread won't rise when baking. 

If you doing the filled bread, you need to put the filling just before you round them.  So after you divide the dough, flat it, put some filling and then shape it into a ball.  And transfer it onto a tray for the second proofing before baking them.  This process is also used when making the sweet chilli and cheese scrolls. 

Rolling the bread for making sweet chilli and cheese scrolls

Floss pork and mayo bread

Chocolate filled bread

Once the bread had risen again for the second time, bake them in the pre-heated oven of 175 degrees celcius for about 20 minutes or until the top has turned into golden brown.  Do not leave to long otherwise your bread will be too crusty.  When you remove them from oven, the outer skin might feel a litle hard but do not worry, once your bread cooled down, they will become soft. 

While they are still pipping hot, I like to brush them wih some evaporated milk.  It will give them shinnier look and slightly sweeter taste. 

Plain roll

Plain roll with butter cream and shredded cheddar on top

Sweet chilli and cheese scrolls

Tangzhong Recipe Bread flour 40 g Water 190 ml Bread Dough Recipe Bread flour 750 g Warm water 165 ml Milk powder 30 g Caster sugar 120 g Salt 6 g Eggs 3 large eggs/ 150 g Butter, melted, leave to cool 120 g Dry yeast 1 pack/ 11 g Method 1. Prepare tangzhong by placing flour and water in a small pot. Heat it up over low heat.     Keep stirring until flour mixture becomes thick and slurry. Remove from heat.     Allow the tangzhong to cool down before adding to the dough. 2. Activate yeast by combining warm water with yeast and one teaspoon sugar in a bowl.     Cover and leave it for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes bubbly. 3. Measure all ingredients for the dough.  Put them all in the whisking bowl.     Including tangzhong and proofed yeast. 4. Mix them together with electric whisker starting with low speed until they bind together     then change to medium high speed for 8 -10 minutes. Until the dough forms into an elastic dough. 5. Leave the dough in oil-covered bowl and cover with cling film or wetted kitchen towel.     Wait for it to be double in size. Normally it will take about an hour but then it depends on the     room temperature.  The warmer the place is, the fastest it will rise.  6. Once it doubled, lightly punch down the dough and start portioning the dough.      Divide them into pieces of equal weight. Shape each dough into smooth round balls.     *If you making filled dough, do it now then rounding it.     *If you put some topping on the bread, do it after the second proofing. 7. Preheat the oven to 175⁰C. 8. Let the dough rest for another 10 more minutes (again it depends on the place) until it doubles.     Keep the bread covered with a damp cloth or cling wrap at this stage to retain moisture. 9. Bake breads in the oven of 175⁰C for 20 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown. 10. Remove the bread from oven and spread some evaporated milk or butter before cooling.         ** If you leave in the cold country around winter season, you always can proof the bread inside your oven. Just set the oven temperature to 35⁰C. Makes: around 50 balls