Baked Apple Rolls

I made these Apple Rolls sometimes ago when I had some extra sugar crust in the  refrigerator. I wanted to make apple pie, but I was too lazy for extra works. With apple pie, I have to flatten the dough, cut them, fit them into the mold and prepare another dough for the topping to cover the pie. I decided to make the apple pie like sardine rolls. Flatten the dough into a rectangle/square, add in the filling and roll. It was the shortcut version of apple pie. 

Baked Apple Rolls

Sugar Crust
500g Flour
250g Butter
2# Egg Yolk
50g Confectioners Sugar

Filling
4# Apples - peeled, cored, diced into brunois
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup apple cider
1# Cinnamon Stick
Cinnamon Powder- as desired
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried prune
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
50g Butter
5g Corn Starch

Crust

1. Sift flour and sugar together.
2. Rub in egg yolk and butter into the flour mixture.
3. Turn dough onto work surface and divide them into two balls (base and top crust) and flatten them. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour. Take it out 10-15 minutes before use.

Filling

1. Sweat diced apple with butter, apple cider and cinnamon stick.
2. Add in dried fruits, walnut, and sprinkle cinnamon powder to your liking.
3. Sprinkle corn starch, and let the juice thicken.

Assemble

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius.
2. Roll one pastry on a lightly floured surface into a square/rectangle.
3. Spoon the apple filling on the pastry into a line.
4. Roll up swiss-roll style. Seal the edges with beaten egg white.
5. Place the rolls on a baking tray. Do not cut them into portion yet. The rolls would turn slightly messy if you did.
6. Brush 1# egg yolk on top of each crust.
7. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until rolls turn golden brown.
8. Let cool for an hour before cutting them into bite size for serving. I like to keep them in the refrigerator for a night before serving. It was much more easier to cut them when they're chilled.

Pink Pastillage Box

I made another pastillage box this week for an engagement. My friend requested pink for the theme. I actually wanted to make some roses, but my roses didn't turn out well (I need to practice a little bit more), so I settled for this flower. I'm not sure what it is though. Does it looks like carnation?

 I was planning to arrange the flower into three tiers--pink, orange and white. But it was a bit too tall for the box. I omitted the pink layer and settled for orange and white.

It was raining for days when I made this box. The humidity doesn't help me to dry the sugar box. It was really hard to assemble the box when it wasn't dried properly. I broke some of the pieces because it wasn't dried enough when I handled it. Anyway... this is how the box looks like from the top. I thought the lid was a bit too plain. I decided to glue some orange tiny flower. 

My friend texted me the picture of the box on top of the 'hantaran' tray. This is how the box looks like from the side. What do you think?

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches

I love barbecue! I always wanted to try barbecued ribs and finally got my wish. I thought of sharing this Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce I found over seriouseat. The sauce was delicious! It was sweet and tangy and a bit spicy. I love it! Anyway, I got some extra barbecue sauce and I decided to make this barbecued beef sandwich.

Barbecued Beef Sandwiches

Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce
Sliced bread
Tenderloin - grilled and cut thinly
Watercress
Butter/spread

1. Prepare Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce or any of your favorite barbecue sauce.Spread butter on any of your favorite sliced bread.
2. Combine tenderloin with barbecue sauce in a bowl. Mix until well coated.
3. Spread strips of tenderloin on bread. Then top with watercress (or any of your favorite salad).
4. Ready to serve

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Wow! I never knew that making your own homemade jam could be this easy! The ingredients are simple and they tasted even better than the one I bought over the supermarket.

A friend of mine gave me a package of strawberry from Cameron Highland. I kept them in the refrigerator for a couple days and it turned a bit mushy from overripe. I decided to make them into jam. I have not attempt to make any jam before, but the recipe looks very easy. I decided to give it a try. 

Homemade Strawberry Jam

200g strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Cut strawberries into half and put it in a bowl. Mash strawberries until half coarse.
• Transfer to a large skillet and stir in sugar and lemon juice.
• Cook over medium-high, stirring frequently. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil or until jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover surface.
• Transfer jam to a jar and let cool to room temperature.
• To store, transfer jam to hot sterile jars. Seal jar and refrigerate.

Easy Clam Soup

I saw the these fresh clam during my visit to farmer's market and decided to try make them into soup. These recipe was super easy. In just 15 minutes, you will have a tasty and flavorful soup. I love dipping the soup with bread. It taste lovely.

Easy Clam Soup


1 kg clams, scrubbed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup anchovy stock
1 tbsp butter, divide into 4
2 tbsp chopped chilies
Chopped cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium size pot. Add the garlic and sauté until brown. Not burn.
2. Add the clams and anchovy stock; stir for 1 minute. Lots of recipes with clam soup used wine. I opt for stock or water since wine is a big NO for me.
3. Cover and cook until the clams begin to open, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Drop a portion of butter in every corner of pot and let it melt.
5. Season to taste. Discard any clams that do not open. Sprinkle with chopped chilies and cilantro.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
7. Enjoy!