Vanilla Sticks in Vodka
Remember my post from January 18th? I described how I started to brew up my vanilla essence, using a bottle of vodka and a few sticks of vanilla.
It's almost empty. I forgot to show the results. The aroma is WOW !! Hmmm...maybe I should take a holiday in the Mauritius, come back with a suitcase full of vanilla pods.
Here's a picture how it looks now.
Those who have toured Germany know: the Black Forest is one of the 'must see'. Here are some photos to revive your memories.
(Click picture for bigger version.)
Or rather, Voodoo Chicken (Duck).
Dug into my freezer once again. Yes, got the urge for some meaty stuff. This bird has been sitting in the freezer for 6 months. Which is too long. Decided to tan this duck... easy peesy.
Ingredients
Method
Clean chicken/duck. Remove superfluous fat from the ar..
Heat pan, add sugar and let it caramelize. Be careful: I said 'caramelize' and not 'burn'.
Once the caramel takes on a light brown colour, add 5-spice powder.
Stir in for about 5 seconds and add hot water. Why hot water? If you add cold water to caramel, it will splash and you might get burnt.
Slip chicken/duck into the caramel water.
Add soya sauce.
Add mandarin peel (plus 'spare parts' like heart, gizzard, neck, bishop's nose for extra flavour) and cover.
Simmer at medium heat for about 2 hours.
Turn the chicken/duck over after 1 hour.
Add hardboiled eggs 15 minutes before the final 2 hours are over.
Add more water if necessary.
Adjust with salt accordingly.
To serve (Western[*] way) cut duck into 4 pieces with (voodoo) halved eggs, fresh spring onions and sliced cucumber. Dribble sauce over duck. Serve with hot rice. Use sweet-sour chilli sauce as dip.
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[*] Note: Western way
Today I tried to make my own Hokkien noodles. But I wasn't sure which flour to take for best results. So I made some experiments.
Pasta Flour (Brand 'Diamant'
Result: Colour is pleasant yellow like hokkien noodles. Chewy texture. Good result.
Allpurpose flour (Brand 'Rosenmehl')
Result: Colour is yellow but with tinge of grey. Chewy texture. Good result.
In my opinion, both flours are suitable for Hokkien noodles. No big difference in texture. Only a slight difference in colour - all purpose flour has a slight greyish tinge but it is only noticeable when you put the two noodles together.
Portuguese Tarts a la Lina
Ingredients
Method
Roll out pastry and sprinkle generously with flour.
Roll it up firmly with like a swissroll/log and divide into 12 pieces.
Flatten each roll (not sideways) with the swirl on top, roll out to about 10-12cm diameter.
Dust muffin pan generously with flour and gently press pastry to fit.
Place in fridge while proceeding with the filling.
Preheat oven to 250°C.
Place all ingredients in a saucepan. I used a plunger (Stabmixer) to whisk till well combined.
Cook over medium low heat, uncovered, stirring constantly with wooden spoon till custard starts to thicken.
Remove from heat immediately but continue to stir to make sure the custard is smooth.
Spoon custard into pastry cases and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and custard is firm.
