Flower Shape Pastry Cookies with Red Bean Filling

中文：豆沙菊花酥

Pastry cookies are very traditional Chinese snacks.  They come in different shapes, sizes, flavors.  But there is always one thing in common: they are always flaky, crispy and rich in flavors.  

For the cookies:

150 g all purpose flour
105 g lard / butter / shortening / vegetable oil
40 g powder sugar
70 g water
110 g cake flour

For the filling：

1 pound Red bean paste (homemade or store bought from Asian grocery store)
egg wash
white sesame seeds

Directions：

Preheat the oven to 375F/190 C.

Although you can use lard / butter / shortening / vegetable oil to make the cookies, lard is always the preferable choice because it can make the cookies flaky and crispy like no other oil can do.

Warm up the lard a little bit.  It is easier to work when it is liquid.

In a medium bowl, add 55g lard, all purpose flour, powder sugar and water.   Whisk with a wooden spoon or chop sticks until all ingredients come together.  Knead with hands until the dough is smooth and elastic.  This is dough NO 1.

In another bowl, add 50 g lard and cake flour.  With a wooden spoon, mix flour and lard until they are well blended.  This is dough NO 2.

Divide dough NO 1 into 20 g/ each; dough NO 2 into 10 g/ each; and red bean paste into 30 g/ each.  Roll each of them into small dough balls.

Take one piece of dough NO 1; press it down with your palm; wrap it around one piece of dough NO 2; seal the edges; and roll it into a ball shape again.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough ball into 3 mm thin, roll it up from one end, cover with plastic wrap and repeat the process again 10 minutes later.  It is kind of similar to making croissants.

Press the dough down a little bit with a rolling pin or your palm.  Fold two ends towards center.  Press it down again and then roll it into 1/4 inch thin.  Place a red bean paste ball in the center.  Wrap it up and seal the edge with your fingers.  Roll it into a round dough ball.  Repeat the process until all the dough balls is pressed down, wrap around red bean paste, and roll again.

With your palm again, press down the dough balls a little bit.  Cut each piece into 12 equal parts from the center towards the outside edge.  Leave the center part intact.  Each part will become a pedal.

Twist each pedal 90 degree up.  Brush the center part with egg wash, sprinkle with white sesame seeds. 

Transfer them a baking pan lined with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 

Bake cookies in the oven for 20 to 22 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. 

Garlic Croutons

 中文： 蒜香面包块

One of the must-haves when I make salad at home is croutons. The garlicky and crunch croutons add so much flavors and textures to the salad.  I can’t have enough of them! O(∩_∩)O~

You can buy your croutons from store, or you can spend several minutes to make a large batch of your own. 

Ingredients：

1 loaf of French bread
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (preferably in spray bottle)
1 to 2 teaspoons garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F/ 163°C

Dice up French bread into little bite size cubes, around half by half inch. 

In a large bowl, add bread cubes, shake while spraying the bread with olive oil.  Try to coat bread cubes as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, shake well again and spread cubes onto a large baking sheet.

Bake the croutons for 20 to 24 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Cool completely on the baking sheet.  Store in airtight zip-loc bag or container. 

Dutch Baby Pancake with Apple Filling

中文： 铁锅苹果薄饼

The Dutch baby pancake is one of our favorite Saturday and Sunday Brunches.   When it is baking in the oven, I can take my time to make coffee, sunny side up eggs, and pan-fried bacons. Isn’t it wonderful? O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients：

2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla exact
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions：

Preheat oven to 425F/218 C.  

You can either preheat an 8 inches cast iron skillet in the oven or on the stove.  Either way is ok. 

Add eggs, flour, milk, sugar and vanilla exact to a blender container; blend on high speed for 20 to 30 seconds or until the batter is runny and smooth.

Add vegetable oil to preheated cast iron skillet, swirl the pan so that the oil can evenly coat the bottom.  Pour in the batter.  Bake it in oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the whole pancake is puffy and golden brown. 

The pancake will fall after being out of oven, so that the center is perfect of filling.  I love to fill it with blueberry sauce or apple.

Ingredients for apple filling：

2 to 3 medium size apples (I use the spy apples I got from farmer market.  They are tart and sweet with crunchy texture, which is perfect here.)
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (use more if prefer sweeter taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 to 1 teaspooncorn starch
2 to 3 tablespoons water
powder sugar to sprinkle on top (optional )

Directions：

Peel and core the apples. Cut into bite size pieces.  Add apple along with ground cinnamon, brown sugar, lemon juice and water to a medium pot.  Cook over medium high heat for about 10 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning at the bottom.

In a small bowl, combine corn starch and 1 to 2 tablespoons water, whisk well and add to apple while stirring.  Cook for another couple minutes, remove from heat and pour onto Dutch baby pancake.  Sprinkle with powder sugar and serve immediately.  

It tastes very much like popover.  Yum! ~O(∩_∩)O~

Steamed Beef and Buttercup Squash

 中文：南瓜盅粉蒸牛肉

My favorite squash is Kabocha squash, but unfortunately it is seldomly available in the city I live in.  So I always go with buttercup squash, which can closely resemble a Kabocha squash.  When cooked, the flesh is a little bit dry, sweet, and mild; and tastes like something between sweet potato and chestnut. 

I like to steam a buttercup squash whole with skin on.  The tough skin can keep the steam moisture out so that the flesh doesn’t get soggy.  I also like to steam it with meat.  The mild squash flavor goes well with pork, beef or chicken. 

Ingredients：

1 medium sized buttercup squash
1/2 lb chuckeye beef
1/4 cup rice
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce (available in Asian grocery store)
1/2 teaspoon rice cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 piece of fermented bean curd (available in Asian grocery store)
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt to taste

Directions：

Thinly slice the beef.  In a bowl, add beef, white ground pepper, soy sauce, rice cooking wine, sesame oil, fermented soy bean curd and salt; mix well and let the beef marinate for at least 20 minutes. 

Cut off about 1/5 of the squash.  With a spoon, take the seeds and any inside squash tissue. 

Heat a wok over medium low heat with rice and Sichuan peppercorns in it.  Stir occasionally until the rice turns slightly brown.  Grind the rice and Sichuan peppercorns in a coffee grinder for 5 to 6 seconds. The rice should be coarsely ground now.  The Sichuan peppercorns will add a bit of kicks to it.

Add ground rice and chicken stock to the beef; mix well again.  Make sure each piece is evenly coated with ground rice. 

Stuff the squash with marinated beef. 

Steam it for 50 to 60 minutes. 

Cut the squash into 8 or 10 slices.  Serve immediately.  

Asian Style Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms

 中文： 小鸡炖蘑菇

This is one of my favorite ways to cook young hen or chicken.  The broth is loaded with intense chicken and mushroom flavor.  It is really the go-to comfort food during chilly season. 

Ingredients：

1organic Cornish hen (can also be substituted with 6 chicken wings or drumpsticks)
1 package of crab mushrooms (150g, available in Asian grocery store)（约454克）
2 packages of enoki mushrooms (100g/3.5 oz each, also available in Asian grocery store)
1 piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
3 to 4 fresh chili peppers
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1 star anise
5 to 6 tablespoon soy sauce
1 to 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
2 to 3 teaspoons sugar
4 to 6 dried Asian dates (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoon cooking oil
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups of boiling water

Directions：

Trim the mushroom roots. Wipe clean with damn kitchen paper tower or rinse quickly under running water.

With a sharp cleaver, dice the Cornish hen into 1 by 2 inches pieces.  Soak in a large bowl of water for 20 to 30 minutes.  Rinse and drain well.

Heat a large wok over high heat.  Add oil and sugar.  Wait for the sugar to melt and become amber color.  Add chicken and stir fry for a couple minutes.  Add ginger, chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise; continue to stir fry until the chicken is golden brown. 

Add boiling water along with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice cooking wine and dates.  Cover with lid and reduce the heat to simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.  Add mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook over high heat until the broth is boiling again.  Continue to cook over medium heat for another five to six minutes. 

I love to serve it in a mini cast iron wok which my husband brought back from China.  It can be heated over a candle or chafing dish fuel so that the whole dish can stay hot for the entire meal.  That is really comforting in cold winter. O(∩_∩)O~