Easter 2013 Eggs

I prepared these eggs slightly different this year by adding alphabets to the eggs. The recipe and instructions remain the same as in my earlier post.

Easter Egg Muffins

I used a simple cake recipe for these muffins which are frosted with buttercream icing and decorated with mini chocolate eggs.

Ingredients (yields 24 muffins):
350 g soft butter
350 g sugar
350 g flour
1 pkt baking powder (20 g or 5 tsp)
8 eggs
muffin cases
muffin baking tin

250 g soft butter
500 g icing sugar, to be sifted
4 tsp hot water

mini chocolate eggs

Method:
Whisk butter and sugar together until creamy.  Sift flour together with baking powder into a bowl.  Add 2 tablespoons flour and an egg alternately, folding in well after each addition. Repeat until the flour and eggs are used up.

Place muffin cases into the muffin baking tin.  Drop 1 tablespoon of dough into each muffin case.  Bake in a preheated fan oven at 170° C for about 20 minutes or until done.  To check whether the muffins are done, slip a fine satay stick into the middle of muffin.  If it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.  Remove muffins onto a wire rack to cool down completely.

In a mixing bowl, whisk butter until creamy.  Add icing sugar by the spoonfuls and whisk until well combined.  Lastly, add hot water and whisk well.  Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.  Pipe butter frosting onto muffins starting from the sides towards the centre.  Place a mini chocolate egg in the centre.

Happy Baking!

Rosemary & Garlic Roast Lamb

I prepared this dish for our Easter Lunch today.  French Beans & Cherry Tomatoes Salad and Roasted Rosemary Potatoes are served on the side.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1,4 kg leg of lamb (with bone)
1 pip garlic, to be sliced into sticks
1 stalk fresh rosemary
salt & pepper to taste
3 carrots, to be peeled and coarsely chopped
1 celery root, to be peeled and coarsely chopped
1 big onion, to be peeled and coarsely chopped
hot oil or ghee (Butterschmalz)
100 ml vegetable stock or lamb stock
200 g fresh cream

500 g french beans, to be washed and both ends cut
1 tsp dried savory (Bohnenkraut)
2 tbsp butter
2 shallots, to be peeled and finely chopped
250 g cherry tomatoes, to be washed and stalk end cut
1 tbsp chopped parsley

750 g small or medium-sized potatoes, to be brushed clean under running water with skin on
sea salt
olive oil
1 stalk fresh rosemary, to be plucked

Method:
Preheat conventional oven to 225° C.  Remove fat from lamb.  With a sharp knife, make slits in the "muscles" or "veins" all over leg of lamb.  Insert garlic sticks or rosemary into the slits. Rub with salt and pepper.  Place lamb in a lightly greased baking pan.  Add chopped carrots, celery root and onions around lamb.  Before putting lamb into oven, pour hot oil or ghee over lamb.  Pour about 50 ml vegetable stock over the chopped vegetables.  Place lamb in oven and after about 10 minutes cooking time, reduce heat to 210° C.  Roast for about one hour and 45 minutes (2nd rack from below) - do bear in mind that the cooking time varies with the weight of meat.  Pour another 50 ml vegetable stock over chopped vegetables after 45 minutes.

Once done, wrap lamb in aluminium foil and allow it to rest in the oven (switched off) for about 10 to 15 minutes.  While the lamb is "resting" in the oven, remove cooked vegetables into a pot and mash or purée them to a pulp.  Add cream and bring to boil over medium heat.  One may add milk if the gravy is too thick.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bone and slice lamb before serving.  Serve with gravy.

Grease a medium-size casserole lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle sea salt on base of casserole. Pour some olive oil in a small bowl.  Coat each potato lightly with olive oil and arrange in casserole.  Then, sprinkle some sea salt and plucked rosemary over the potatoes.  Once the lamb is roasting for about 45 minutes in the oven, place casserole on the lowest rack.  The potatoes will be ready at the same time as the roast lamb.

Boil french beans together with dried savory in salted water until the beans are almost tender. Remove from heat and drain beans in a sieve.  In a pot, heat butter and add chopped shallots. Fry until translucent before adding the beans.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Lastly, add cherry tomatoes and remove from heat.

Serve roast lamb slices with French Beans & Cherry Tomatoes Salad and Roasted Rosemary Potatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Strawberry Tiramisu

Another Tiramisu version without using any eggs.  According to our friends, this dessert tastes better than strawberry ice cream.

Ingredients (for a 23 cm x 32 cm casserole dish):
750 g fresh or frozen strawberries
400 g sponge biscuits (one can also use Amarettini)
cold milk to soak sponge biscuits

1 1/2 pkts red or clear Tortenguss (glaze) or 1 tbsp cornflour
4 - 5 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp water

400 g fresh cream
2 pkts Sahnesteif (2 x 8 g whipping cream stabilizer)
1 pkt Vanillinzucker (8 g vanilla sugar)
500 g mascarpone
100 g yoghurt
40 g icing sugar

Method:
Clean, remove stalks and purée strawberries to a pulp.  In a saucepan, add Tortenguss, sugar and water.  Stir thoroughly until no lumps appear.  Then, add puréed strawberries and cook over medium heat.  Keep stirring and let mixture simmer lightly for about a minute.  Remove from heat.  Remove 3 tbsp of mixture and leave aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk fresh cream, Sahnesteif and Vanillinzucker together until stiff.  In another bowl, mix mascarpone, yoghurt and icing together.  Add whipped cream and mix well.

Soak the sponge biscuits in cold milk for about a minute.  Arrange sponge biscuits in a casserole dish.

Add half of puréed strawberries and spread evenly.  Then, add half of mascarpone cream and spread evenly.  Arrange another layer of soaked sponge biscuits, puréed strawberries and mascarpone cream.

Lastly, add teaspoonfuls of puréed strawberries all over and by using the spoon handle, make decorative designs.

Cover casserole dish and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours or better overnight before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Ban Chien Kuih (Peanut Pancakes)

This is one my favourite pancakes during my childhood days!  It has several names but the only ones I know are Ban Chien Kuih, Man Chien Kuih and Peanut Pancakes.

Batter Ingredients (yields 12 pancakes):
3 eggs
80 g sugar
330 g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Natron)
1 tsp dry yeast
425 ml water

Filling Ingredients:
350 g roasted peanuts, to be coarsely chopped
70 g sugar
30 g soft butter

Note:  One can use canned sweet corn kernels or chocolate chips as filling variations.

Method:
In a large bowl, mix all batter ingredients together until well combined.  Leave aside for at least 30 minutes.

As for the filling, mix chopped peanuts, butter and sugar together in a bowl.  Leave aside.

Heat a non-stick pan (20 cm in diameter) over medium heat.  Brush with a little oil.  Pour a ladle of batter into pan and swirl batter also up the sides of pan to form a round pancake. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until the sides of pancake turn light brown.

Remove lid.  Sprinkle filling evenly on top and fold pancake into two.  Remove to a plate. Repeat procedure until all ingredients are used up.

Serve either warm or cold.

Bon Appetit!