Shaved ham is not just for sandwiches - Featured in Group Recipes

Last Night my family celebrated my belated birthday.  We had a fusion of Western and Chinese food served  buffet style.  For the Western infulence, we had shaved honey roast ham, sharp red cheddar and havarti cheese slices, sliced ciabatta bread and various condiments & accompaniments to make a sandwich board.  My "quaylo" huband prepared a salad of fresh coriander parsley, soft mozarella balls, and roma tomatoes chunked instead of sliced. He made a balsamic reduction and tossed the above with a bit of virgin olive oil. The result is, of course, a different arrangement of a "Caprese" salad.  I contributed a Caesar salad done in the traditional  recipe with romaine lettuce and garlic/anchovy laced dressing. For the Chinese side , my Mum made an old family favorite; braised pork shoulder with peanuts (my husband says that cooking with peanuts was new to him when he first came here and loves the rich legume in our stews and soups).  I made a garlic ginger stir fried prawn which my God son Darryl helped to cook off for our party. Darryl is an aspiring chef and at our affairs he is always willing to jump into the kitchen.  We bought a green vegetable preparation from an outside restaurant to balance the meal.  While this is quite a common dish for us here in Malaysia my husband says it isn't usually seen in the states. It was potato leafs stir fried with eggs, a typical Cantonese veggie.  For dessert, Gary had bought a birthday cake and I made a Pavlova. It was a sumptuous meal and everybody enjoyed the food. There was considerable amounts of shaved ham and sliced cheese left over. Tonight I made a shaved ham casserole for dinner.

Shaved Ham Gratin (1)

Ingredients

 1 pound fresh asparagus (fat spears)

 1 pound cauliflower (thinly sliced)

 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

 2 tablespoons flour

 1/2 cube chicken stock

 1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese (we used well aged  sharp red Cheddar and ½ cup Havarti cheese)

 2 hard-cooked eggs peeled and sliced

 2 cups shaved ham

Method:

Wash asparagus and break off tough ends. With vegetable peeler, remove scales from     stalks if necessary. (Peeling the bottom inch or two of stalk eliminates any possible fibrous part.) Bias-cut stalks into about 2-inch lengths. Cook in boiling water until just tender; drain and dunk them in cold water and drain again. Place half of the asparagus and cauliflower in a six inch casserole dish.

Bechamel sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and salt; whisk until blended well.  Add milk and whisk again. Cook slowly on a low flame and stir until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat.

In a shallow baking dish, begin with a bottom layer of  mixed cauliflower and aspargus tips in the bottom of the casserole and pour some of the sauce over that layer.  Add a layer of shaved ham & sliced eggs, then pour some of the sauce over them.  Continue layering in this fashion, alternating between the vegeteables and the ham & egg layer until the top of the baking dish is  reached.  Finish with the top layer featuring the vegetables again. Pour  the rest of the sauce overe the top evenly and spirinkly with a bit more shredded cheese. 

Preheat oven at 180 degrees C (212 degrees F) and bake for 25 to 30 mins keeping a close eye on the top to avoid exceeding the caramelization stage and burning the dish.

The result (as shown in the pictures) is a traditional gratin(1) heavily featured in French cooking. This method offers considerable room for experimentation in terms of ingredients but usually features cheese,, butter, bread crumbs and /or egg  as common elements to creat the crusty top. Cheese is not typical in Chinese food recipes and yet, with the exception of the stoic palate of my mother, cheese has been enthusiastically accepted in our family.

(1)  "Gratin is a widely used culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish." - Wikipedia

Baguette French toast - Featured in Group Recipes

Do you know that you can make tasty French toast from left over baguette?  Well here is what I did for tonight’s dinner:D  This is especially easy for couples who both work and come home tired and want to make something quickly for dinner. Can be done within half an hour!!

French toast and Sausages

Serving for 2

Ingredient:

Left over baguette (about 12 pieces)

4 eggs

1 medium size white onion

Stir fry Green vegetables in garlic

Herb sausages

Method:

Poke a few holes into the sides of your favorite sausauges then pan fry in a little butter on low - medium heat until thoroughly cooked. (We like the herb-pork sausages from  Jaya Groceries).  

Take any left over day-old baguette (French) bread and cube into chunks about 1 1/2 inches sguare.

Lightly beat 4 eggs and a pinch of salt and dip all the left over baguette in the egg mixture. Give them time to really soak up some egg on all sides. Lightly oil your pan with butter and fry the baguette chunks on medium heat until they are golden brown.  Set aside wrapped in aluminum foil and a kitchen towel to stay warm.  Add half cube of chicken stock and black pepper to taste to the left over eggs and mix well.  Add a table spoon of olive oil and sautee the onion till translucent and then add the eggs and make an omellete.  In another pan stir fry any green vegetable in garlic and set aside.

Plate the French toast, sausage, omellete and your favorite green vegetables and serve with maple syrup and butter.

It is so simple but YUMMY!! 

Pepper Pork

Let me briefly introduce my buddy, Jennifer, who happens to be my sister-in-law. Well, when both our late husbands were alive, we had all stayed together for about 8 years. This dish, Pepper Pork Tenderloin is her ONLY specialty at that time. Our late husbands and I were working then, and she was our “house minister”. When she cooks this dish for dinner, it is a TREAT for all of us. WE LOVED IT and never once did we not finished all of it in one GO!! So, you can imagine how special this dish is to us.

White Pepper Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

900 grams pork tenderloin – sliced into 3mm pieces

2 medium onions - cut into rings (optional)

For Marinade I:

15 pips of garlic

2 tb whole white pepper pods (add ½ tb if you want it spicier)

Marinade II

2 tb dark soya sauce

2 tb oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil
4 tb oil

2 tsp cornflour

4 oz water

Salt to taste

1 tsp chicken stock granules (or one chicken boullion cube)

Directions:

Place sliced pork into deep bowl. Add marinade 1 and mix, leave for 5 minutes then add in marinade 2 and mix evenly.  Let it marinate at least 2 two hours before cooking.

Heat oil and add marinated meat to the pan, stir fry for 1 minute, add 3 oz water and bring to boil, add salt and chicken granules; cook until done on the tender side.

Remove the pork, and thicken the pan gravy with cornflour pre dissolved in the balance of the water. Serve, sprinkled with chopped parsely for color.

Note: If you'd like to add onion, which caramelize beautifully in this dish, add and stir fry until transparent before adding the water.

Tip: Though a little more work, the pounded (mortar and pestle) spices give off more flavour and fragrance as compared to using a blender.

Carrot Cake - Featured at Bakeolicious on 10 Nov 2010

This is an all time favorite cake of my family and friends. My dear friend Diana asked me for the recipe last week and I just got to bake this cake today and here it is:D


Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar.
2 cups sieved all purpose flour.
1 tsp. salt.
1 tsp. Cinnamon, ½ tsp Nutmeg
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed.
1 tsp. baking powder.
1 tsp. baking soda.
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil.
2 tsps. vanilla.
4 large eggs.
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are good, but any nut will do).
1/2 cup raisins.


Method:
1. Grease and flour or lined with baking sheets a 8” x 3” round tall pan.
2. Stir together dry ingredients.
3. Squeeze out some of the juice from the shredded carrots
4. Now add to the dry mixture, the carrots, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
5. Beat about 2 to 3 minutes until well mixed.
6. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
7. Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 to 60 minutes.
8. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting with Sour Cream

2/3 cup icing sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup sour cream

Seive the icing sugar and set aside.  Beat 1/2 cup sour cream and cream cheese in large bowl until well blended. Add  1 tea spoon at a time the icing sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cake.

Pavlova or Palova

I first tasted the Pavlova in The Ishii’s Residence on 4th July this year.  Their friend, Cheng Yi baked it.  It was really delicious and I decided to make one, one day myself.  If you want to try it, here is the recipe. Pavlova:  Ingredient: 120 grams egg white 1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) sugar 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour) Topping: 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whippingcream 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruits of your choice. Method: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in. Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.) Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)  The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.  Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.

Sausage and Sauerkraut

Always keep some sausages and sauerkraut in your fridge just in case you want  fast and simple meal after a hard's work.  You can get the meal ready within 20 mins.

Sausage and Sauerkraut

Serving : 1 person

Ingredient: 

1)      2 sausages 

2)      1 cup sauerkraut

3)      1 ts caraway seeds

4)      1 tb olive oil

5)   1 stalk celery cut into thin sticks

Method:

Heat up the olive oil in a pan. Add sauerkraut and mix well with the oil.  Add caraway seeds and stir fry till you can smell the fragrant of the caraway seeds.  At the same time, on another pan, with just a little olive oil fry the sausages till brown all around. 

Serve with bread and butter.

Ah Lui Jay's Turnip and dried squid stew

Many may mistaken that this dish is Ju Hu Char but it is not. There is no shredded mushroom or shredded pork. My Mum make this dish to be wrapped in lettuce and it is really refreshing and tasty and will never feel full. It can be eaten as a snack before the main meal or as a dish for the main meal to be eaten with rice.  If you like it spicy, you can spread some sambal belachan on the lettuce before putting the stew turnip and dried squid.  

Ah Lui Jay's Turnip and dried squid stew

Ingredients:

1)      1 cup julienne carr0t

2)      4 cups julienne turnip

3)      1 cup julienne black fungus 
(washed and soaked till all opened and soft)

4)      25gm dried shredded squid 
(washed and soaked till soft)

5)      2 tb vegetable oil

6)      2 tb oyster sauce

7)      1 tb black sauce

8)      1 tb sugar

9)      1 chicken stock cube

10)  2 ½ cup water

11)   Spring Onion for garnishing

Method:

Heat oil and sautee turnip till translucent and scoop off the wok and set aside.

Add carrot and shredded dired squid and stir fry till carrot is soft and you smell the fragrant of the dried squid. Add turnip, black sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and chicken stock cube and water.  Stir and conbime well and let it stew till turnip is limp.

Serves with lettuce and sambal belachan.  I like it with romanian lettuce.

Dinner with good Company - The Ishiis

We had a wonderful evening with John and Diana Ishii... Pictures speak a thousand words:)

The table setting for the evening

Antipasto

  

Plum Tomato & Puglia Cherry Cheese Salad

Lyonanise potatoes

Grilled code in Pine Nuts White Wine Creamy Sauce with asparagus

Fetucinni with seafood in White Creamy gravy

Remember the grilled Pork Shoulder and fetuccini recipe a few days ago?  You see I have some left over gravy from the grilled Pork Shoulder and a serving of cooked fetuccini pasta from the pasta meal.  As I would like to clear up some space in my fridge, I decided to use them all up.  This is how.  Preparation and cooking time is only 45 mins.

  

Fetucinni with seafood in White Creamy gravy

Ingredients:

Left over sauce from grilled Pork Shoulder (about 2/3 cup)

Left over cooked fetuccinni (1 serving)

1 tb chopped garlic

2 tb Olive oil

1 tb soya sauce

1 ts sugar

1 tb spoon chopped Chinese Parsley

1 tb spoon diced spring onion

½ cup water

1 tb spoon cooking cream

Salt and black pepper to taste

6 – 8 medium prawns,

6 – 8 fresh scallops

Method:

Marinate prawns in soya sauce, sugar and black pepper put aside for 30 mins. Fry garlic in Olive oil till fragrant.  Add the left over sauce.  Let it simmer for 2 secs, add water and simmer another 2 sec.  Add in prawns cook for about 2 mins, add scallops and cook 2 mins.  Add cooking cream to thicken the gravy.  Add fetuccinni and mix well with the gravy and garnished with spring onion and Chinese parsley. 

I served this with left over Garlic Cinnamon pumpkin, steam spinach in butter and freshly baked French bread of course.  

Darling,  lunch is ready!! :D