Salmon En Croute

Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!


I decided to go with the flow of the season and do a salmon covered in pastry since it's currently on sale! Even my stuffing is more spring-like: blended combination of spinach, watercress, and rocket (arugula). I used a combination of cream cheese and ricotta (left-over from another recipe). They were quite nice although I must say I was right in seasoning it well. Otherwise it comes across as too bland.

The BBC Good Food magazine provided me with the recipe to adapt to. This is so easy to make what with the ready-made puff pastry you can get from almost any supermarket. The only thing a bit hard is when moving the whole encased salmon from the assembly area to the baking pan. Otherwise, it was all a breeze frankly.



Salmon En Croute

500 gm salmon fillet - skinned and deboned
500 gm puff pastry
150 gm mascarpone or cream cheese
100 gm combined spinach, watercress and rocket
1 medium egg - beaten with 2 tsp milk

1. Combine the cream cheese and the watercress, spinach and rocket in a food processor and whizz until well mixed. Season well with sea salt. Set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/375F. Butter or oil a baking sheet.
3. Roll the pastry out to a size that will enclose the salmon completely, with a thickness of around 1/8 of an inch. Lay it on the prepared baking sheet (it will hang over the edges) and put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under.
4. Put half of the cream cheese mixture on the salmon. Fold the pastry over to make a neat parcel. Trim the edges and seal with a fork or by crimping.
5. Make three slashes in the pastry to allow the steam to escape. Brush the pastry with the egg glaze.
6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. Dish up and serve with the rest of the watercress puree.

Chicken Ballotine

For the April Daring Cooks Challenge, Lisa from Parsley, Sage and Sweet has challenged us to debone a whole chicken, using this video by Jacques Pepin as our guide; then stuff it, tie it and roast it, to create a Chicken Ballotine.




A few years' ago I was an eager participant to the Daring Baker's food blogging monthly event. It has now morphed into a Daring Kitchen which includes the Daring Cooks challenge. Well, I say the more the merrier! I wanted to get going again after a few years absence but since my big oven conked out months before, all I could participate in is the Daring Cooks challenge.

I love this month's one, deboning a whole chicken. I've always wanted to learn how to do it but always beaten back by procastination. So this kind of dare is the very thing to spur me on. This particular technique of Jacques Pepin, is the simpler one since the back of the chicken is cut open. Next time I hope to learn the more tricky way of deboning poultry without cutting the skin which is the one used in the Filipino chicken relleno or chicken gallantina.



How did I fare? Well, I watched the video at least three times to remember the techniques and the order of the steps. Going back and forth to the computer while my hands are soiled is not something I planned on doing. So after memorizing the process, the deboning itself was quite straight forward. It's the sliminess that I found difficult at times usually when I have to grab the bones. But other than that I must say it went quite well. What I found tricky was the tying of the string! I can't make it 'link' to one another. So I had to refer to the end of the video and had to see it several times. Jacques did it very quickly and I didn't notice at first that he turned his hand to twist the string!



I didn't make the sauce in the recipe and instead used my usual gravy one but included it here in case I'll have the chance to make it next time around. The stuffed, bound and tied chicken was brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with a little salt and pepper then roasted. I served this for our Easter family dinner and it went down quite well. There's something about slicing so easily into that chicken without worrying about bones that makes this so appealing. I'm definitely doing this again.



Ballotine of Chicken

1 whole chicken (about 1.8 kg) - deboned
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Red Rice Stuffing or Spinach, Cheese, and Bread Stuffing (see below)

*Gravy Sauce:
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine or chicken stock
1/2 cup diced celery stalk
1 small onion - diced
1/3 cup diced carrot
1/2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch/cornflour dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 200C/fan 180C/400F/gas mark 6.
2. Lay the deboned chicken skin side down and sprinkle the salt and pepper.
3. Spread the cooled stuffing mixture evenly over the chicken - stuffing the legs, too. If using the spinach stuffing, sprinkle the cheese and bread cubes on top of the spinach.
4. Roll the chicken up, tie it with kitchen string, brush with melted butter and place in a roasting pan.
5. Roast in the oven for about 45 mins - 1 hour or until the temperature in the centre of the chicken ballotine is 70-74C/160-165F. Check the chicken midway through the roasting time to see if it is browning too much in which case you can reduce the temperature to 190C/fan 170C/375F/gas mark 5.
6. Remove from oven and lift from pan into a serving platter. Let rest for at about 10 minutes before serving.

*For the gravy sauce:

1. Skim off and discard most of the fat from the drippings in the pan. Add water and wine (or stock) to deglaze the pan, and heat over medium heat, stirring to loosen and melt the solidified juices.
2. Strain the juices into a saucepan. Add the celery, onion and carrot. Bring to a boil in high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and boil gently for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the dissolved potato starch and soy sauce. Bring back to boil while stirring to thicken it. Remove from the heat.

Red Rice Stuffing

115 gm [1/2 cup] Wehani rice
300 ml [1 1/4 cups] chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp sea salt
15 gm [1/2 cup] dried mushrooms (such as porcini) - rinsed and broken into pieces
1 cup chopped leek (white part)
1 onion - chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
60 ml [1/4 cup] water

1. Combine the rice, stock, salt and dried mushrooms in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 1 hour or until the rice is tender. Set the rice aside in the pan, uncovered.
2. In another saucepan, combine the leek, onion, oil and water and bring to boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and cook in gentle heat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook until all the water is gone.
3. Add the rice, mix well and let cool to room temperature.

Spinach, Cheese, and Bread Stuffing

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
140 gm baby spinach leaves
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyere or matured cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups cubed bread

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until the spinach is wilted.
2. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl. Drain and let cool to room temperature.

Vanilla Cupcakes

I've held out on posting this recipe for quite sometime because I was waiting for a chance to have a picture of it with lovely swirled icings on top. But since my big oven is out of action for the last few months I don't think I would have that chance soon enough. So I'll just post the plain cupcake in here to make sure that I won't lose the recipe because this is simply one of the best I have come across.

One thing going for this is that it's an all-in-one-bowl recipe in a Nigella Lawson-esque kinda way. Dump everything in a bowl then beat to mix and presto you've got your cake batter. It can't get any easier than that! I adapted this from my latest favourite Cook's Illustrated's - The New Best Recipe cookbook.




Vanilla Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups [210 gm] plain flour
1 cup [200 gm] sugar
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup [125 gm] unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/350F. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine well.
3. Add all the other ingredients in the bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth and well combined.
4. Fill the cupcake tin to about 2/3 full and bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
5. Remove from pan and cook completely on a wire rack.
6. Spread your choice of frosting on top.

Texas Chili

Tagumpay ! That's the name of a male relative of mine and also the Tagalog word for success! For this innocuous recipe adapted from Epicurious proved to be quite a hit at first try. Actually, on first inspection of the recipe I wasn't too impressed because if you remove the chillies, masa harina and cumin, it would be your usual beef stew. How wrong I was! Maybe it's the masa harina or its combination with the chillies my husband got from his colleague that shaped the great flavour. It is really really good especially for this blustery, wintry weather we seem to be all under right now. I highly recommend this my friends so get cooking!

Thanks to my husband's colleague Dave who gave us his prized hybrid chillies he got from a specialist grower. They added a complexity of flavour and a variety of spiciness that is departure from the usual. The heat I felt was around the mouth and back of throat which was surprisingly pleasant for me not like the usual in-your-face hot spiciness that just gives you pain. For someone who's a chilli wimp this was a great adventure.

This chili is a departure from the usual recipes where they normally use minced (ground) beef. True Texan chili I've read and heard - never use minced meat only cut-up pieces of well-marbled beef. Thus the use of braising or chuck beef was important. I think other stewing beef parts like the shin would be good as well. And that is only one of the differences. It also never use beans nor tomato sauce. And I guess bell peppers would be sacrilege as well!


Texas Chili

1 kg braising beef (or chuck or stewing beef) - cut into 3/4-inch pieces
6-8 pieces of dried New Mexico, guajillo, or pasilla chillies (or combination)*
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp whole black peppercorn
2 tsp sea salt
5 Tbsp (approx.) lard, butter, or vegetable oil
1 medium onion - finely chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced (about 1 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp masa harina (corn tortilla flour)*
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp firmly packaged dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar*
sour cream
lime wedges

1. [Optional] If you're using dried chillies, lightly toast the dried chillies in a pan over medium-low heat about 2-3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to burn them or they will taste bitter. Put in a bowl and soak in very hot water until soft (about 30-45 minutes).
2. Split the chillies; remove and discard the seeds and stems. Chop roughly.
3. Place in a blender or food processor and add salt, ground cumin, and 1/4 cup water. Blend/process until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
4. In a heavy pot, heat 2 Tbsp of the lard or oil. Brown the beef on at least two sides in small batches over medium heat. Add more oil if needed. Set aside.
5. Reheat pot and add more lard/oil if needed. Saute the onion and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes over low-medium heat.
6. Add in the chilli mixture and quickly saute for a few seconds. Watch out, this might sting your eyes and throat so just cook them very briefly.
7. Add the beef, mix briefly. Then add the beef stock.
8. Slowly add the masa harina while stirring. Cover and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 1.5 hours or until beef is tender. (Note: I used a pressure cooker and it did not seem to affect the quality)
9. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar and cook a few minutes more until dissolved. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.
10. Serve with sour cream and wedges of lime with long grain rice or chips (thick french fries).

*Notes:

• You can use plain tortilla chips if you can't find masa harina. Grind them into fine crumbs before using.
• Dried chillies are not mandatory. You may use fresh chillies; just skip procedure no. 1 above.
• I used cane vinegar for this recipe and it was okay.

Leek and Potato Soup

I never thought that these cream soups that I so love during winter time is so easy to make. Well, it's even easier when they come out of a tin can but the real thing is so much more flavourful and healthier that making it from scratch can be deemed mandatory.

The only specialized equipment needed is a stick blender or a regular blender or a food processor. This is to puree the soup to a smooth and fine consistency. Although it won't hurt even if don't puree, you'll just have more texture in the soup which for some people is preferable.

The picture of the finished product isn't that great so I'll put that at the bottom. I'll post a better one next time I cook this again. Darina Allen's recipe in the BBC GoodFood website is the recipe I adapted.





Leek & Potato Soup
450 gm chopped leek (you may use just the white part if preferred)
1 small onion - chopped
450 gm potatoes - peeled and diced
50 gm butter
1 litre [4 cups] chicken stock
250 ml [1 cup] milk*
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Remove the tough outer layer of the leeks. Chop and wash thoroughly to remove soil and sand.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
3. Add in the onion and leek and cook on medium heat for about 1 minute.
4. Add the diced potatoes; stir, cover and cook on low heat until vegetables are soft (about 5-10 minutes).
5. Pour in the stock, bring to boil then turn heat to lowest and simmer until the vegetables are soft.
6. Remove from heat and puree everything with a stick blender or in batches with a regular blender or food processor.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Reheat gently and stir in the milk. Serve hot.

*Note: You can use single/double cream or a combination of milk and creams.

Creme Caramel

I thought it was time to make Creme Caramel which is the Western world's version of our very own leche flan. Afterall, I live in the Western world where the ingredients for it are abundant and cheap.

My effort was not particularly stellar as you can see with the various holes. The oven was probably quite hot that's why it's overcooked. Though thankfully this did not affect the overall quality of the custard. It was still smooth and silky with just the right sweetness.

The recipe I adapted is from The New Best Recipe cookbook from Cook's Illustrated.




Creme Caramel

1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup or golden syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp lemon juice (optional)

1 1/2 cups full-cream (whole) milk
1 1/2 cups single cream (light cream)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

*For the syrup:

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, syrup, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer without stirring on medium heat.
   While doing this, wipe the sides of the saucepan with a wet cloth or a wet brush to remove any sugar crystals that can turn the syrup grainy.
2. Continue to cook the syrup until it turns golden (about 8 minutes). Occasionally swirl the saucepan gently for even browning.
3. Cook for a further 4-5 minutes while swirling the saucepan gently and constantly until the syrup turns honey-caramel in colour.
4. Remove from the heat and immediately pour and divide into ramekins or baking moulds you are using. Careful when doing this because the syrup is very hot at this point. Let the caramel cool and harden completely in the moulds.

*For the custard:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/350F.
2. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir from time to time and cook until steam appears (about 7 minutes). Remove from heat.
3. Mix gently the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the heated milk mixture, salt, and vanilla while stirring gently. Whisk until just combined but not foamy. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
4. Boil about 5 cups of water in a kettle. Put a folded tea towel to fit in the bottom of a large baking pan.
5. Divide the custard mixture in the ramekins or moulds. Arrange the moulds on the tea towel in the baking pan making sure they do not touch.
6. Position the pan in the middle of the oven. Pull the oven rack and the pan about less than half-way out.
   Pour the hot water in the baking pan to reach halfway up the side of the ramekins. This is called a bain-marie or water bath.
7. Cover the entire pan loosely with aluminium foil. Bake until a skewer or small knife inserted between the centre and edge of the ramekin comes out clean. Baking time for small ramekins is about 35-40 minutes while for larger baking dish is about 70-75 minutes.
8. Remove from the bain-marie and cool completely on a wire rack. [Optional] Cover individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days.
9. To unmould, run a knife all around the edge of the ramekin. Cover it with a plate and turn it upside down. Shake the ramekin gently to release the custard.

Lime & Coconut Drizzle Cake

Again, the thought of throwing out a soon-to-be-expiring can of coconut milk brought out the daring in me. This, I believe, is the first time I have combined coconut and lime in a cake. And take my word for it - it's sublime! Gregg Wallace's recipe in the BBC Good Food magazine of January 2007 provided the source that I adapted. Things I changed: I didn't bother with the sugar sprinkle and I poked (stabbed more like it) the cake many times before pouring in the syrup icing just like the lemon drizzle version.


Lime & Coconut Drizzle Cake
100 gm butter - softened
175 gm caster sugar
2 eggs
175 gm self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
200 gm coconut milk
finely grated zest of 2 limes

*For icing
200 gm coconut milk
150gm caster sugar
juice of three limes

*For sugar sprinkle [optional]
50 gm caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lime

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4. Butter and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with baking parchment.
2. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat everything with an electric until batter is smooth and well combined.
3. Pour mixture in the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean.
4. While the cake is baking, make the icing syrup: mix the coconut milk with 150 gm of the caster sugar in a saucepan. Boil for about 5 minutes, while stirring from time to time, until syrupy and you can see the bottom of the pan when stirred.
5. Stir in the lime juice, remove from heat and set aside.
6. If using sugar sprinkle, crush the remaining sugar with the lime zest until it becomes a damp green paste. Set aside.
7. When the loaf has finished baking, remove from oven; [optional] poke the cake many times with a thin skewer. Pour the icing a little at a time, waiting for the cake to absorb it before adding more. Leave the cake to cool in the pan.
8. Once completely cool, remove from pan and sprinkle with lime sugar (if using).

Note: The original recipe did not require poking the finished cake. I just did this so that the icing syrup would penetrate the cake down in the middle more. It is up to you if you want to do this.