Mooncakes with Lotus Seeds and Salted Egg Yolks

中文食谱：莲蓉蛋黄月饼

Mid-autumn Day is a very important festival day for Chinese people.  It is kind of like thanks giving day.  It is a tradition for families and friends to get together on this day.  One of the traditional designated foods is mooncakes.  Their round shape represents happiness and life fulfillment.  

I make mooncakes every year.  Nowadays mooncakes come in many shapes and with tons of different fillings.  My personal favorite is lotus seeds filling with salted duck egg yolks.  It is old fashion and I just love it.  The combination sounds exotic?  Trust me; it is really tasty and amazing! O(∩_∩)O~

I posted detailed instructions last year

Spray the duck egg yolks with a couple teaspoons rice cooking wine and roast them in preheated oven 375F/190C for 8 minutes.  

Salted duck egg yolks can be bought from Asian grocery store.  I love to buy fresh duck eggs from our local farmers market and make them myself.  Here is how to make them at home.

After 8 minutes, the yolks are done

Divide the lotus seed fillings into 25g/each.  Gently press down, wrap around egg yolks, and shape each of them into a little ball between palms

When the mooncakes are molded, transfer them to cookie pans lined with baking mats .

Preheat the oven to 350F/176C.

Bake for 5 minutes.  Take them out and gently brush them with egg wash.

Send them back to oven to bake for another 15 minutes or until they all get gold brown.

Wrap them in individual little pastry boxes

Gift packaged them in pastry boxes and share with my friends O(∩_∩)O~

White Bread Loaf

中文菜谱：白面包吐司

Haven’t baked any loaf lately since summer is here.  One day, out of nowhere, I had a sudden strong desire for a piece of soft and warm and fluffy freshly baked bread.   O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

350 g bread flour
1 teaspoon yeast
40g sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
150g whole milk
35g melted butter

Directions：

Microwave the milk for about 15 seconds.  Add 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast.  Whisk and allow them to sit for 5 to 8 minutes.

In the stand mixer mixing bowl, add bread flour, sugar and salt.  Whisk the dry ingredients together and then add milk and yeast mixture along with an egg. 

Start stand mixer and set speed at 2.  Knead for a couple minutes.  Everything should come together at this point.  Add butter while kneading.

Continue to knead at speed 2 until the dough can pass window panel test.  There is no time set here.  All you need to do is to check from time to time.

Cover the bowl with lid.  The dough will rise double in size in about 50 to 60 minutes depending on the room temperature.

Transfer the dough to a large dusted wooden board .  Punch down and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Equally divide the dough into 4 pieces.  With a rolling pin , roll each piece thin and flat.

Roll them up

Place them side by side in a loaf pan with lid

Wait until they double in size again.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F/190C

Cover the loaf pan with its lid.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

Unmold it as soon as it comes out for oven.  Cool on a cooling rack

Now it is time to enjoy!

The warm doughy scent when the bread is baking is so comforting that I think I can stay in the kitchen the whole day O(∩_∩)O~  

My favorite way to eat freshly baked loaf is to tear it apart with fingers and then enjoy it piece by piece.  Forget the bread knife.  This is I think the best way to enjoy this soft and fluffy bread. 

Dark Chocolate Mousse

中文菜谱：黑巧克力慕斯

Who doesn’t love chocolate and everything that is made with chocolate?  This dark chocolate mousse is our new favorite dessert.

Ingredients：

130 g dark chocolate
1 tablespoon brandy / Kahlua rum & coffee Liqueur
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar (use more if you have a sweet tooth)
2 tablespoons espresso instant coffee
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
200 heavy cream
2 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
water to dissolve gelatin


Directions：

In a medium bowl, add chocolate, cocoa powder and instant coffee

Add 80 g heavy cream; whisk and microwave on high for about one minute or one and a half minute until chocolate melts.  The time needed might differ depending on different microwave ovens.

Whisk everything together.  Allow it to cool for a while until it is not hot to touch.

In a small bowl, add water; sprinkle gelatin on top; and then microwave for a few seconds.  Gelatin heats and melts really fast.  Be sure not to overheat it.

In another large bowl, add remaining 120 g heavy cream along with sugar.  With an electronic whisk, beat it into whipped cream.

Combine chocolate sauce, melted gelatin, brandy / Kahlua rum & coffee Liqueur together.  Whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Divide it into small glasses or bowls

I top them with chocolate whipped cream.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or longer

A bit caramel sauce and chopped nuts make them even prettier! O(∩_∩)O~

The mousse is very rich and dark chocolate flavor with silky and smooth texture.  We really love it. 

Oven Roasted Chestnuts

中文:  糖烤栗子

Have you ever tried roasted chestnuts?  A lot of Asian people, including us, would enjoy fresh chestnuts in late fall season.  Cooked chestnuts taste like roasted buttercup squash, only sweeter and starchier.

My friend sent me a bag of really fresh chestnuts, so the second day I made oven roasted chestnuts.

Ingredients:

30 to 40 chestnuts
1/2 cup water
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Preheat a toaster oven  to 425F/218C

Make a shallow cut on the top each chestnut with a sharp knife or scissors. I prefer scissors for cutting chestnuts.  Add them to a round cast iron pan

Bake in the toaster oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add water and sugar to a medium pot . Heat over high heat until it boils.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add chestnuts to the pot.  Stir with a wooden spoon so that chestnuts can be evenly coated with sugar syrup.

Send the chestnuts back to oven to roast for another 15 to 20 minutes.

The whole house is filled with sweet aroma which is really nice.

Be sure to wait until the chestnuts are cool to touch. 

It is really easy to shell the chestnuts when roasted this way.  Now enjoy the sweet chestnuts! O(∩_∩)O~

Figs with Prosciutto

中文：无花果PROSCIUTTO小点心

We went to Eastern Market in Detroit area last weekend again.  Guess what I found? Fresh figs! There were two kinds of fresh figs on the market.  One was kind of yellowish; the other one is deep dark purple.  The vendor told us the purple one is better but a little bit more expensive. 

We bought the dark purple figs.  And the vendor was right.  They are so juicy and sweet and fragrant that I literally couldn’t stop eating them.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

I bought some prosciutto later and made a beautiful appetizer with figs and prosciutto. 

Ingredients：

8 to 10 fresh figs
8 to 10 slices of prosciutto
shaved Parmesan cheese
fresh rosemary

Directions:

Split each slices of prosciutto into halves lengthwise. 

Rinse the figs under running water and pat dry.  Cut them into halves. 

Wrap each piece of figs with half slice of prosciutto.  Secure with fresh rosemary. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese.

Don’t forget to remove the rosemary before eating.

All you need now is a glass of wine! 

If you are not that into cheese, just skip the shaved Parmesan. 

Or you can just put the figs and prosciutto on the plate side by side.