Lemon Chiffon Pie with Cookie Crust

This is a light dessert of soft and silky lemon mousse filling in gingersnap cookie crust. A very nice pie for any occasion--what's great it's simple enough to prepare.
Ingredients: (adapted from epicurious.com, I cut back on the sugar)
1½ cups gingersnap cookie (about 25 cookies, finely ground in food processor)
2 Tbsp. sugar (instead of 2 tbsp.)
5 Tbsp. unsalted melted butter
9-inch glass pie dish (as it heat evenly)
Filling:
2 cups ice cubes
¼ cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¾ cup sugar (instead of ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp.)
¾ cup freshly sqeezed lemon juice, strained
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
a pinch of salt
1¼ cups whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix cookie crumbs, sugar together. Add in the melted butter and stir until mixture is evenly moistened.  Transfer crumb mixture to pie dish and press firmly with fingers the crumb mixture to the bottom and sides of dish. Bake in the center of overn until crust is firm and turn a darker color--about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool crust completely (you can make this ahead of time)
2. In medium sized bowl, pour enough water to fill halfway up sides; add in ice cubes. In another small bowl, add ¼ cup of water and sprinkle gelatin over. Let this stand until gelatin softens.
3. Whisk sugar, lemon juices, egg yolks, grated lemon peepl and salt in a saucepan to mix completely over medium low heat. Stir until mixture has thickens slightly or until the mixture coat surface of spoon. The mixture should not curd, when test with thermometer it should registers 160°F. Add gelatin and continue whisking until gelatin dissolves and mixture is smooth and silky. Remove from heat and place saucepan in bowl of ice water, until the filling is cool enough to touch. Continue whisking for another 5-8 minutes.
4. When mixture is cool enough, transfer lemon filling to a large bowl. Beat whipping cream and powder sugar with an electric beater in another bowl. Beat until peaks form and firm. Gently fold in a small portion of the whipped cream into the lemon filling until incorporated. Fold in the remaining cream in three additions.
5. Transfer filling to cooled down crust, moulding the mixture in the center. Keep pie refrigerated until filling is set about 4-5 hour.
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Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse is a French seafood stew made with various kinds of cooked fish, shellfish and vegetables. It is flavored with different herbs and spices, and is served with crusty bread. I served mine with lightly fried polenta and basil. You can use any types of non-oily and firm-flesh fish for this wonderful stew.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
2-3 lbs fresh fish
1 lb clams
1 lb mussels, rinse well
½ lb large prawns, shelled with tail intact
½ lb calamari (cut into bite-sized)
5 ripe tomatoes, skinned removed and chopped
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large red onions, chopped
1 bunch of bouquet garni (sage, bay leaf, thyme)
1 fennel, sliced thinly (leave the stems for soup base)
¼ cup olive oil
6-8 pistils of saffron
½ tsp. orange peel
1 crusty bread, sliced and toasted
a dash of Cayenne pepper (optional)
a handful of parsley, chopped for garnishing
pepper and sea salt
2 cups fish or chicken stock
2 Tbsp. white wine (optional)
Method:
1. Clean and scaled the fish and rinse well. Fillet the fish and cut into large slices, leaving the bones and heads for stock.
2. In a large pot add some oil and fry half of the onions and garlic until fragrant and soft. Add the fish trimmings, bay leaf, some parsley, and fennel stems. Fry for about 5 minutes until the bones are lightly brown. Pour this mixture into a muslin bag and secure with strings. Return it to the pot and add the stock. Simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
3. Remove stock to cool enough to handle. Squeeze and press the muslin bag to obtain as much of the fish juices as possible into a bowl. Strain the rest of the stock in the pot. Remove the excess fish mixture in the muslin bag.
4. In the same pot, add remaining oil and heat over medium heat. Add the leftover onions and garlic and fry until soft and fragrant. Add the fennel and tomatoes and fry for another 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through. Add in the fish stock, orange peel, Cayenne pepper (if used) and bring to a boil.
5. Add the pieces of fish, cuttlefish and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and the rest of the shellfish. for about 10 minutes. Add saffron strands and season with salt and pepper and wine (if used). Cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Serve warm with slices of crusty bread  pepper. Add clam juice, lemon juice, and white wine. Bring to a simmer again and cook about 5 minutes longer. Remove and serve with toasted bread.
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Baked Egg Custard

This recipe is one of my family's favorite dessert. It is nutritious and easy to prepare. I am glad my daughter asked me for the recipe, which reminds me that I don't have a post for it. So here it is, enjoy this comfort dessert using the simple ingredients of eggs and milk.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
½ cup sugar (¾ cup for sweeter)
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups milk, (scalded and allow to cool)
4 custard bowls
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla extract together. Beat well to mix and blend in the scalded milk.
3. Pour into custard bowls and set it in a larger and deep pan or baking tray. Fill with water until it comes up halfway to the custard bowls. Sprinkle top with nutmeg.
4. Bake in the center of the oven and reduce temperature to 350­°F. Continue to bake for about 35-40 minutes until a clean skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on rack.
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Ginger Candied Kumquats

A restaurant friend gave me a bag of freshly picked kumquats in exchange for some of my homegrown Kaffir lime leaves. Kumquats are small citrus fruits that look like miniature oranges. You can eat it whole with the skin and it has a tart and bittersweet flavor. It is popular to the Chinese as the word, Kumquat in Cantonese means, "golden orange", as it is a symbol of prosperity and is popular during the Chinese New Year to give as gift or displayed around the house. It is great as a spread on toast--it's marmalade with a nice twist!

Ingredients:
1 lb kumquats
1-inch fresh ginger, minced (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 cup water
1½ cups sugar
a pinch of salt
Method:
1. Wash and dry the fruits well. Using a small knife cut into halves and remove seeds with the tip of knife or toothpick.
2. In a heavy saucepan, add water and sugar and bring to boil to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the ginger, salt followed by the kumquats. Let this cook for another 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low to simmer. Let this cook uncovered until the liquid has reduce down until it barely covers the fruit, and the fruit is covered with the sugar syrup.
3. Remove from heat and transfer fruit and syrup into tightly sealed glass jar and store in the refrigerator. They are ready to serve with your favorite toppings on dessert.
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Fragrant Claypot Chicken Rice

This is a simple rice dish to make if you want something quick and nutritious--all it takes is a rice cooker! This dish reminds me of the famous Kampar claypot chicken rice in Kuala Lumpur. It is cooked in small earthen claypots. The other specialty to this dish is the crispy fried salted fish served on top of the rice.

Ingredients:
1 measuring cup of rice, washed and drained
5 chicken thigh meat, cut into pieces
10 dried Shitake mushrooms, presoaked
¾ cup chicken stock, or water
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
3 small shallots, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
some fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Chinese wine
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. oil
Marinade:
2 Tbsp. soy paste
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
½ tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
Method:
1. Marinade chicken with wine and pepper in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix the marinade ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and fry the ginger, shallots and garlic until fragrant and lightly brown. Lower heat to medium and add in drained rice and fry until the rice is fragrant and has absorbed most of the oil. Pour rice mixture into the rice cooker.
3. Replace pan to stove and add remaining oil and fry the mushroom for about 5-8 minutes, add in the chicken and stir to mix with the mushrooms and fry over medium heat for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the marinade sauce and mix well to coat chicken pieces completely.
4. Arrange chicken mixture on top of rice and pour in the chicken stock or water. Turn on the rice cooker to cook the rice and chicken, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh cilantro and chilli sauce.

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Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This is my 200^th post since I’ve started this blog two years ago. To celebrate the occasion, I made this dish. This appetizer is a savory and refreshing dish found in most Chinese restaurants. It also makes a wonderful light main course as the lettuce is cool and crisp--great for a delicious hands-on summer fare! It takes very little time to prepare and it is perfect for any occasion. This is my version of it, hope you like it.

Ingredients:

4 pieces of chicken thigh meat, cut into small pieces
1 can (8oz) whole Chinese water chestnut, chopped
1 medium mango (ones from Mexico are yellow skin and crunchy)
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 head of butter lettuce or iceberg (washed and drained dry)
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbsp. oil
Marinate:
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tsp. Sesame seed paste
1 tsp. cumin powder
1½ tsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
black and white sesame seeds
hoisin sauce
Method:
1. Mix marinade in a bowl and season chicken, leave in the fridge for an hour. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add in minced shallots and fry until it is translucent, stir in the marinated meat and fry over medium heat until meat is not longer red and cooked.
2. Add in the chopped mangoes and water chestnuts and give it a good stir. Cook further for another 10 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. To serve, lightly spread hoisin sauce on a piece of lettuce and mound a spoonful of the chicken in the center. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Cook's Tip: Substitute water chestnut with jicama if not available.
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Legendary Engagement Roast Chicken

One afternoon, I met an old friend from my meet-up group at our local cafe. Over a cup of coffee, we got to catch up with what's going on in one another's lives and sharing cooking ideas and recipes. She was sharing some of her secrets about how to roast a perfect and moist chicken. A lady in the next table overheard our discussion and told us this amazing story about the legendary Engagement Chicken. It is a home-roasted chicken dish, which appear to cause boyfriends to propose marriage. The recipe was developed by Kim Bonnell, a fashion editor at Glamour Magazine. In 1982, Bonnell gave the recipe to her co-worker, Kathy Suder to prepare for her boyfriend and soon afterwards, the couple was engaged. The recipe made the rounds in the office and soon three other women in the office were offered marriage proposals soon after making the dish for their boyfriends (Excerpt from Wikipedia) 

Wow! This must be a magical and charming dish to present to your future suitor. First come chicken, then comes a marriage proposal--how cool is that! Well, our mother's was right---the way to a man's heart is really through his stomach. I am sure this is only true for some people.

Ingredients:
1 fresh organic chicken, (5 lbs)
3 fresh lemons, cut into wedges
2 onions, sliced in into thick chunks
2-3 pre-cooked small red potatoes, quartered
1 whole garlic, cut into halves (skin intact)
some fresh rosemary and thyme
¼ cup olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. dry white wine
1 cup good quality chicken stock
Roasting pan
salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry chicken with paper towel (this will give a crisp skin when roasting). Rub the cavity with salt and pepper, and add four lemon wedges, fresh herbs, and garlic into the chicken cavity.
2. Tie the legs with strings and tuck in both the wings. Pour half of the olive oil over the chicken, rub all over with salt and sprinkle pepper on the surface.
3. In a separate bowl, add the leftover lemons, onions, potatoes. Toss well with the rest of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange this mixture around the roasting pan. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes. Test for doneness with thermometer (190°F) or when juice runs clear when cut between the leg and a thigh. Remove the cooked chicken onto a serving platter, cover with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Return the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat. Pour in the wine and scrape with a spoon to remove any browning on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and flour, stirring to mix the flour with the liquid until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce into a gravy saucer and add any juices that collect under the chicken. Remove the herbs from the cavity and carve the chicken onto a platter and serve with the onions, and lemons on the side.
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