Pear and Almond Tart

This is adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking : From My Home to Yours

makes one 9-inch tart

 

Crust :

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
9 tbsp. cold butter
1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white)

Poached Pears :

2 ripe medium pears
3 cups water
3/4 cup golden castor sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/9 tsp salt

Frangipane :

6 tbsp. butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup brown castor sugar
3/4 cup ground almond
2 tsp flour
1 tsp cornflour
1 large egg and 1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the pears :

Combine all ingredients except the pears in a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Peal the pears and add to the simmering syrup. Let pears poach about 10-15 minutes, turning the occasionally. Pears will become slightly translucent, tender and able to be pierced by a fork or knife. Turn off heat. Let cool to room temperature.

For the tart shell :

Put flour, icing sugar, salt in a mixing bowl and mix till incorporated. Add in small cubes of butter and rub in with both hands till u get a crumbly texture and butter is mixed well with flour. Add in egg yolk and combine together till dough becomes clumpy. Do not make it into a ball. Just mix till it is sticking together.
Butter a removable base tart pan. Turn the dough out onto the pan and press the bottom towards the sides till dough covers the pan easily. Make sure dough is even on the pan. You can patch dough on areas needed. Cut of ends with a butter knife. Once shell is done, place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
Then remove tart shell, take a piece of foil and butter the shiny side, then press the buttered side tightly to the shell. Place the tart pan on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes at 180C.
Once done, remove pan, remove the foil and let it cool.

For the frangipane :

Combine butter and sugar with a hand held mixer. Add the ground almonds and blend together. Add in the flour, cornstarch, and then the egg and egg white. Beat in low till smooth. Add in vanilla, just to blend.

Assemble the tart :

Once the shell is cool, Pour the frangipane and spread evenly.
Drain the pears. Pat dry with a kitchen towel. Cut into halves, remove the core with a knife and spoon. Then cut crosswise into 3/8 inches thick. Do not separate the slices. Slide a knife or spatula underneath the pear halves and transfer them onto the tart.
Arrange all pear halves evenly (as in pics).
Place tart in a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or till golden brown and frangipane is firm to touch at 170C.

Once done, remove pan and let it cool before removing tart base from the pan. Slice the tart and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dust with some icing sugar.

 

 

Linked to my ongoing event :

http://daily-cuppa.blogspot.com/2013/09/bake-along-challenge-pie-tart-and.html

http://palachinkablog.com/bake-fest-event-announcement/

Bake Fest

Bake Along Challenge - Pie, Tart and Quiches

Hi everyone..Welcome yet again to my Bake Along Challenge...
After nearly a year, I'm hosting this Event in my blog..been busy with the pregnancy and the baby..
So, here we go..the comeback of Bake Along Challenge kicks off with Pie, Tart and Quiches..
Hmmm...I love pies, tarts and quiches...both the savoury and the sweet ones. The end result of a beautiful pie with buttery crust will truly make the extra time and work worthwhile.
All pie lovers out there, do take part and post your bakes here for everyone to try and enjoy ;)
As usual, there are some simple rules to follow, and I will do a round-up of all the entries.

The rules :,
1. Follow my blog.
2. You may send in as many links as you want...archived posts are also accepted...do link it using the linky tool at the end of this page and send a pic to my email add (resh_82@hotmail.com)...for the round-up ;)
3. Use of above logo is advised and your post should link back to this event page...
4. To those who do not have a blog, do send your entries to resh_82@hotmail.com Pls include your name, pic, recipe and 'Bake Along Challenge' as the subject.
5. Event starts today till October 31st 2013.
Happy Baking ;)

Margarita Cupcakes with Tequila Lime Buttercream Frosting

Made these yummy cuppies for my fren's hens night...and it was loved my all ;)

 

Original recipe is from BrownEyedBaker

I doubled the amount of tequila and.reduce the lime juice a little for the cupcakes. Once cuppies are cool, I poked holes in the cupcakes and added tequila direct into the cupcakes using a small spoon and immediately covered it with the frosting. Best consumed immediately once frosted or placed in the refrigerator till consumed...preferably on the same day as tequila evaporates.
A great idea if you're planning to bake something for a party like this ;)

Pasta with Homemade Chicken Meatballs

Paired with my favourite wine, we had this yummy pasta dish with homemade chicken meatballs for dinner..First time making my own meatballs..i was surprised it was really easy to make and the end result : succulent and delicious...earning me praises for the hubs...Do give this a try..the meatballs recipe is perfect for 2.

You need :

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (minced using the blender attached with mincing blade)
1/2 big onion (chopped thinly)
1/4 cup grated cheddar + parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic (minced)
salt and black pepper powder to taste
some chopped parsley and fresh coriander
1/2 of a beaten egg
1/3 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil for frying

Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl and make into balls...Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan. Place the chicken meatballs in 2 batches and pan fry till all sides are golden and meat is cooked. Remove from pan and put aside.
Meanwhile, cook your favourite pasta..I used whole wheat spaghetti. Warm up a bottle of pasta sauce..I used Prego Chunky Garden sauce. Once sauce is cooked, turn off heat, add in the meatballs and coat. Serve hot with the pasta.

Black Pepper Mushroom Masala

Yummy vegetarian side dish..easy and quick to make...perfect even on weekdays.

 

I used :

1 packet of  fresh oyster mushrooms (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 inch ginger (sliced thinly)
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tomato (sliced thinly)
salt
cracked black peppercorns (according to ur taste coz I like it spicy)
water
fresh coriander

Method:

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Fry onion, garlic, ginger till fragrant. Add tomatoes and oyster mushrooms. Add in the coriander, cumin and garam masala. Mix and add in a little water to cook. Lastly add in salt and black peppercorns. Mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander. Serve hot with white rice.

Linked this to : http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2013/09/announcing-side-dish-mela-with-giveaways.html

Sweet Wheat Porridge

Today I'm blogging from my very new Sony Vaio I bought yesterday....one word to describe it : Awesome...
Haha...with the Touchscreen, Apps and the sound system....(I'm yet to explore it further)...I would say I'm so loving my new toy ;)
So, this week's post...Sweet Wheat Porridge...also called Bubur Gandum in Malay, is one of my husband's fav so this is done upon request.
My first try but as usual..a success ;). Here goes :

Ingredients :

250gm wheat pearls
1 litre water
2 pandan (screwpine leaves) ,knotted
150 ml thick coconut milk - from fresh coconut
150 gm sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Method :

Wash the wheat pearls until water runs clear. Soak for 30 mins.
In a pot, bring water and pandan leaves to a boil. Add the wheat pearls and allow to boil for 5 mins before lowering the heat and to simmer till wheat pearls are soft to touch (about 20-30 mins)
Add more water if needed. Add in the coconut milk, sugar and salt. Bring to a quick boil. Make sure sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Serve warm or cold ;)

Wholemeal Banana Cake

Looking for THE banana cake?
Look no further...this cake ticks off all the points : Moist, healthy, eggless, nutty even without any nuts, easy - without a need for the mixer, fast yet delicious....
Now, here goes...my version of Wholemeal Banana Cake ;)

Ingredients :

1 cup low protein flour
3/4 cup wholemeal (you can get it from baking supply store)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup low fat milk
2 ripe bananas (well mashed)
1/2 cup canola / sunflower oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method :
Heat oven to 180C. Prepare a loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl, sift in the flour, add the wholemeal, salt, baking powder and sugar. Mix well.
Add in the milk, oil, vanilla and bananas. Gently mix till combined. Do not overmix and it will make the cake dense and not moist.
Pour in the loaf pan and bake for about 35 - 40 min or till ur cake tester comes out clean.
Goes well with a cuppa.

Link sent to : whats-with-my-cuppa-2 and http://uk-rasoi.blogspot.com/

 inking this recipe to Shruti’s ‘Sweet Celebration’ Event