Thursday, March 28. 2013
One of the biggest challenges for me is the food and cooking. Basic meat and produce themselves taste different. I did not realise how lucky we were with the French chicken, where the most basic free-range tasted miles better than those that you can find in the generic supermarkets here. They don't even have the characteristic long breast and thigh bone structure! Products that are distributed internationally are also different, as the recipes tend to be tailored to the local taste. Coming to a new place is a reason to revamp one's food repertoire, but it can be difficult when nearly everything is different! But it's coming along. And the change has allowed me to explore making various sauces/spices from scratch (recipe to come when more finalised).
Yet one of the pluses is the incredible variety available. We are loving all the leafy greens that can be accessed so easily now. And the special "health foods" (e.g. specialty grains, diary-free alternatives, allergen-specific products, etc) are so readily accessible and fairly affordable that I've begun exploring vegan baking. Chinese/Asian food/restaurants are also easily obtained, which means fewer chances of me needing to recreate them at home. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that we can always grab something quick if time gets the better of me (especially with the surprises a little one can bring).
This relocation has been another milestone in our lives as we (re-)adjust to a new culture and a new phase in life. I'll continue to share my cooking and food-related adventures but now with the added challenge of soon cooking for a little one. 
For a start, I bring a little France to the US with a slightly re-vamped old recipe: butter-free chouquettes and gougères. They are essentially dairy-free, except for the cheese in/on the gougères (hence "butter-free" rather than "dairy-free"); so if you manage to use a dairy-alternative cheese, even the gougères can be completely dairy-free.
No Butter Chouquettes and Gougères (makes ~30 one to two bite-sized puffs)
Replacing the butter/vegetable oil spread with vegetable oil, weight-for-weight, was all that was necessary. The final product puffed without difficult and tasted just as nice. Nutritionally, using vegetable oil actually contains more overall fat than the vegetable spread, although the total saturated fat is less. Seeing this, I may try to decrease the amount of vegetable oil next time to see if the recipe will turn out as nicely.
"Pearl sugar" is not as readily availabe here in the US, so I just sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar for the sweetness. It's not the same, as the crunchiness is part of what makes chouquettes special, but it works. Granulated sugar can be used as well.
Choux pastry:
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- 3 tbsp (40g) vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour (for gluten structure)
- 2 large eggs
- 2-3 tsp sugar
- Gougères: 3/4 cup grated hard cheese (e.g. parmesan)
- Chouquettes: powdered/granulated sugar
- Combine the oil, salt, sugar, and 1/2 cup (125 ml) water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove from heat, add the flour all at once, and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until well blended. Return the pan over medium-low heat and keep stirring until the mixture forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue stirring over the heat for an additional one to two minutes.
- Remove from heat, and let rest 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one by one, stirring quickly and well after each addition (so as not to “cook” the eggs). The batter will first appear lumpy; but after a minute or so, it will smooth out. (A food processor can be used as well). Test to see if the dough is becoming too wet before adding the second egg. This is called "choux pastry".
- Divide the choux pastry into 2 parts. Add about 3/4s of the grated cheese and the chives to one part, and stir until well-mixed to make the gougères.
- Cover both choux pastries and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a day (allows the dough to rest a bit).
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the batter from the fridge and use two teaspoons – or a piping bag fitted with a plain tip – to form small balls of batter, about the size of a walnut or small cherry tomato with an inch of space between them.
- Chouquettes: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Gougères: Sprinkle with remainder of grated cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re completely golden brown (make sure NOT to open the oven door during the first 10 minutes of baking). Make sure the puffs are completely browned on top and on the sides to prevent deflating after cooling.
- Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the chouquettes and gougères in for another 5 minutes to prevent a temperature shock, which
would cause them to deflate.
- Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before serving.
Notes*:
- It is helpful to use a smaller pot for the roux. Mixing will be easier and less strenuous on the arms. Tilting the pot at an angle will also speed up egg incorporation.
- For extra-crispy puffs, the sides of each puff can be poked to release the steam and returned to the oven to finish baking.
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 3 days at most. Reheat for 5-10 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven to restore the original texture. They can be frozen in a zip-top freezer bag for up to one month. Defrost at room
temperature, then warm briefly on a baking sheet, until crisp.
Nutrition (out of a batch of 30):
- Chouquette (1 bite-sized) -- 30 calories, 1.7g total fat, 0.2g saturated fat, 24.1mg sodium, 1.6g total carbohydrate, 0.7g sugar, 0.06g fibre, 0.3g protein.
- Gougère (1 bite-sized) -- 49 calories, 3.1g total fat, 1.1g saturated fat, 115mg sodium, 2.5g total carbohydrate, 0.6g sugar, 0.06g fibre, 2.7g protein.
Sunday, January 22. 2012
Chinese New Year falls on the 23rd of January this year, and it will be the year of the Dragon. In my 2011 Chinese New Year post, "I had mentioned that "fa gao" (發糕) was commonly served at this time of the year. The cake is a simple mixture of gluten, sugar, and rising agent with steam providing the necessary force to raise the cake, hence the "fa" (發) in the name, which can mean to rise, to start, or to initiate. It is the same character used in fortune or to gain wealth (發財) and explains why this cake is associated with this occasion. One of the key features of the cake is the "blooming". The steam should be strong enough to break apart the top of the cake to create the effect of a flower that has bloomed. Several steps are employed to help obtain this effect. The batter must be allowed to rest. The steaming vessel must be very hot with a strong steam. The lid must not be lifted until the very last minute; this prevents the steam from escaping. And lastly, as I learnt the hard way, the mold container must be thin enough, and preferably with holes, to ensure maximum exposure to steam and heat. With no such container on hand, I made one using aluminium foil (and a ramekin to form the shape).
I found two recipes from YTower---a fabulous Taiwanese cooking website with high-quality videos---which used part low-gluten flour and part rice flour to create a more moist and tender product. One had a 1:1 ratio between the flours and higher sugar content; the second used a 1:2.3 flour ratio and a lower sugar content. I opted for the second recipe as the ingredients suggested a tenderer and less sweet cake; but unfortunately, I did not have enough regular rice flour (I had glutinous rice flour); so instead, I found a third recipe (from the same website) using only low-gluten flour. Happily, it worked the second time! I will post the second and third recipe for you to choose depending on your preference. Happy Chinese New Year!!
Fa Gao (translated from YTower), Yields 4 substantial cakes Two versions are listed here: one using only low-gluten flour and another using part low-gluten flour, part rice flour. The procedure is the same for either recipe. Only low-gluten flour:
-
200g low-gluten flour
- 180g sugar (brown sugar will add a slight molasses flavour and golden colour)
- 210g water
- 8g baking powder
Part low-gluten flour, part rice flour:
-
60g low-gluten flour
- 140g rice flour (non-glutinous!)
- 90g sugar (brown sugar will add a slight molasses flavour and golden colour)
- 180g water
- 8g baking powder
- Combine low-gluten flour, rice flour, sugar, and
baking powder. Add water.
- Pour into molds and allow to rest for at least 10 min before steam.
- Meanwhile, prepare the steaming vessel. Make sure that the water has boiled with strong steam (i.e. steam is escaping from the lid).
- Place the molds with batter into the steaming vessel and steam for 15-20 minutes. Make sure NOT to open the lid too early or else steam will be lost and the cake will not be able to bloom properly. Doneness can be tested with a toothpick.
Nutrition (per serving, depending on selected recipe): approximately 353-371 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g cholesterol, 14g sodium, 82-88g carbohydrate, 44-48g sugar, 5g protein.
Sunday, November 13. 2011
In a moment of complete absent-mindedness, I forgot to put the melted butter and milk into the batter for the paper-wrapped cakes. Realising this only after nearly filling all the cake molds, I decided to save the butter and milk for next time rather than trying to salvage the recipe at such a late stage. The batter was already smelling rather familiar and good, so I finished filling the molds and stuck them into the oven, all the while trying to fight off my growing disbelief at my own stupidity. I tried to convince myself that, at the very least, the resulting cake would be a richer version of angel cake (with the added yolks). It'd certainly be healthier as it was only egg, sugar, flour, and a bit of vanilla extract. That was, of course, as long as the cakes came out successfully, and I was, for some reason, sufficiently confident that they would. All that remained was to wait and see.
Ingredients:
- 5 eggs, separated
- 70 g sugar (I used half white and half dark brown)
- 53 g cake flour
- 10 g corn flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line cake molds (I used the aluminium tins from large tinned vegetables) with parchment paper to create the paper-wrapped cake effect.
- Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until colour turns pale. Add the vanilla extract.
- Beat the egg whites in a separate container (make sure VERY clean) with the remaining half of the sugar. Begin on mediumlow speed until finer air bubbles develop. Then add 1/3 of the sugar and increase to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the trails from the beaters can be seen (soft peaks). Add another 1/3 of the sugar. Continue beating until whites near soft-firm stage. Add the remaining 1/3 sugar and continue beating until the whites turn shiny and the peaks on the beaters do not bend back when lifted.
- Add 1/3 of the whites to the yolk mixture to temper. Sift the cake flour and corn flour into the mixture. Fold gently. There is no need to fully incorporate the flour at this point as 2/3 of the whites still remain to be folded.
- Fold the remaining 2/3 of the whites in 2 steps until batter is well-incorporated. (Try to work fast and gently to minimise deflation)
- Fill the cake molds to ~60% full.
- Bake at 180°C for 5 minutes before turning down the heat to 170°C and continue baking for ~15-20 minutes. If the cake tops are browning too quickly, cover the top with a sheet of aluminium paper. The cakes are ready when a wooden stick poked into the center of cake yields a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the molds and lay on their sides to cool.
Note:
- To ensure that the egg whites can be beaten to the maximum potential, make sure that the containing vessel and beaters are free of oily residue and any debris.
- Keep uneaten cakes in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat at 125-150°C for ~10-15 minutes prior to consumption. Cakes can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month in an air-tight container; just allow to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as indicated prior to consumption.
Nutrition (per serving): 171 calories, 5.4g fat, 2g saturated fat, 247g cholesterol, 62g sodium, 24g carbohydrate, 12g sugar, 7.3g protein.
Sunday, October 23. 2011
I was surprised to learn that what I had always thought was "sponge
cake" was not really sponge cake at all. Instead, as I recently learned, it is known as "paper-wrapped cake" (紙包蛋糕). This probably explained why my first attempt at the sponge cake yielded none of the light fluffiness that I expected. Further research clarified the confusion. Chinese egg-based cakes can be generally divided into two categories based on
whether the egg yolk and whites are separated or not. "Sponge cake" refers to beating the egg yolks and whites together. "Chiffon cake" refers to when the egg yolk and whites are separately beaten. One additional difference is that the chiffon cake uses only oil, not butter. Of course, these definitions are at their simplest as there can be countless variations within these two categories, depending on the proportion, type, and flavour ingredients. (Note: There are a few other French-styled cakes that would fall into either categories, but I will not mention them to avoid confusion. The website Baking911 provides a good summary.) For "paper-wrapped cake", it uses the chiffon style of separately beating the egg yolks and whites but with the addition of butter rather than oil. I found quite a few recipes for the cake with varying proportions of flour, sugar, and butter; and I ended up choosing the one that replaced half the butter with milk. The recipe is apparently also more similar to a chiffon cake (wetter batter). For this reason (taking previous chiffon-making experience), I will probably incorporate the butter and milk with the egg yolks the next time that I make it rather than near the end of the batter, as I noticed that quite a lot of air bubbles were lost from the egg whites. Not surprisingly, the resulting cake did not rise as much as expected. I may also decrease the amount of butter and eggs as the cake felt a bit wet. Lastly, the "paper-wrapped cake" is healthier than the sponge cake recipe that I previously made. Calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol were all reduced further by decreasing the egg yolks, increasing the egg whites (so that I could just use whole eggs rather than having leftover egg whites), and using vegetable oil spread instead of butter.
Paper-Wrapped Cake (translated from original)
- 5 eggs, separated
- 70 g sugar (I used half white and half dark brown)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 53 g cake flour
- 10 g corn flour
- 30 g melted butter (or vegetable oil spread, melted)
- 30 g milk (or milk powder--I used half in weight of powder and half of water)
-
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Line cake molds (I used the aluminium tin shells from the large tinned vegetables) with parchment paper to create the paper-wrapped cake effect.
- Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar until colour turns pale. Add the vanilla extract.
- Beat the egg whites in a separate container (make sure VERY clean) with the remaining half of the sugar. Begin on medium-low speed until finer air bubbles develop. Then add 1/3 of the sugar and increase to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the trails from the beaters can be seen (soft peaks). Add another 1/3 of the sugar. Continue beating until whites near soft-firm stage. Add the remaining 1/3 sugar and continue beating until the whites turn shiny and the peaks on the beaters bend back slightly when lifted.
- Add 1/3 of the whites to the yolk mixture to temper. Sift the cake flour and corn flour into the mixture. Fold gently. There is no need to fully incorporate the flour at this point as 2/3 of the whites still remain to be folded.
- Fold the remaining 2/3 of the whites in 2 steps. (Try to work fast and gently to minimise deflation)
- Before full incorporation, add the milk and melted butter while continuing to fold. Make sure all components are fully incorporated by this point.
- Fill the cake molds to ~60% full.
- Bake at 180°C for 5 minutes before turning down the heat to 170°C and
continue baking for ~15-20 minutes. If the cake tops are browning too quickly, cover the top with a sheet of aluminium paper. The cakes are ready when a wooden stick poked into the center of cake yields a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cakes from the molds and lay on their sides to cool.
Note:
- To ensure that the egg whites can be beaten to the maximum potential,
make sure the containing vessel and beaters are free of oily residue and
any debris.
- Keep uneaten cakes in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat at 125-150°C for ~10-15 minutes prior to consumption. Cakes can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month in an air-tight container; just allow to defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as indicated prior to consumption.
Nutrition (per serving): 127 calories, 4.7g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 154g cholesterol, 66.6mg sodium, 16.4g total carbohydrate, 9.4g sugar, 4.7g protein.
Saturday, October 1. 2011
One of my husband's most favourite snacks is "chouquettes", a bite-sized pastry that I only learned of when he introduced them to me a few years back. We were visiting London (from Switzerland), and he specifically requested the French bakery and patisserie chain Paul in order to get them. When I first saw them, I thought, "What an ingenious idea!" It was a simple choux pastry (hence the name "chouq-uettes"), equivalent to what we call "puffs" in the U.S., embellished with sugar crystals, and sold for 20-30 Euro cents each. It was simple to make, loved by many, inexpensive to produce, and easy to earn a profit---not unlike macaroons. Unfortunately, I had completely forgotten about them, and my husband had to live without them for the years we were in Switzerland. It wasn't until we moved to France that I chanced upon them at a local bakery. One can only imagine the joyous smile that lit his face when he opened the bag.
Chouquettes are a popular snack in France. Different bakeries may make them slightly different---they may be more cake-like; some bigger, some smaller; and some may be embellished with chocolate chips or even completely flavoured in chocolate---but they're all essentially a simple choux pastry composed of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Of course, this was all conceptually-speaking.
The thought of making our own chouquettes never really crossed my mind until I saw recipes for "gougères", or cheese puffs, from Serious Eats and David Lebovitz. My husband would certainly love them, and I'd never seen them sold at the bakeries (well, until very recently that is when the weather has begun to cool). So began the attempt at my so-called "simple choux pastry".
Disappointingly, my first attempt failed. Quite simply because I had never made choux pastry before. I only knew it was easy, which indeed it was; but I didn't know what to look for to prevent failure. I followed the recipe to the dot, but they did not rise at all. Instead, they had spread into a sunken mass with hints of what they should have been but clearly were not. I salvaged what could be salvaged for my husband's afternoon tea and prepared to dispose of the rest. But sweet and loving that is my husband, he objected and ate every single one (not in one sitting of course).
Choux pastry is one of those doughs/batters whereby following the recipe exactly does not guarantee success. Instead, a bit of subjective judgement is involved, as several factors, such as humidity and temperature, can change the flour to water ratio. This is why many cooking instructions will suggest that you add most, but not all, the water during incorporation in case the dough gets too wet. There are two essential checkpoints for choux pastry: the heating of the roux and the addition of the eggs. None of the recipes that I consulted indicated any of this!
In the recipe, the butter, sugar, salt, and water are first heated to near boiling before the flour is poured in one go. A wooden spoon is used to mix the dough OVER the heat until the dough comes together into a ball. Here is the first key. You must continue to stir the dough over the heat until the dough has become somewhat "dry" to evaporate some of the moisture. The dough will have lost some of its sheen, and rough rather than smooth edges will trail when you cut through with the wooden spoon. Or more simply, make sure to continue mixing the dough over the heat source for an additional one to two minutes after full incorporation.
Next is the addition of the eggs. One egg is added at each time until it is fully incorporated into the dough. It is helpful to check after each egg to see whether the dough is getting too wet. The dough should be able to hold its shape. If the dough seems to be getting too wet, no further eggs should be added. But make sure that it is at the point right before the dough gets too wet, or else if it is too dry, the puffs won't rise and/or it may taste hard and dry.
The original recipes (synthesised from Chocolate & Zucchini's chouquette and David Lebovitz's chouquette and gougère recipes) have been altered so that both chouquettes and gougères can be made from the same batch (that is, if you don't mind having a little sugar in the savoury cheese puffs 
). Vegetable oil spread instead of butter was used, and they turned out perfect. Cream or ice cream can be piped into the chouquettes or savoury cheese or meats sandwiched into the gougères, but they taste lovely and dainty as they are. Husband-certified.
Chouquettes and Gougères (makes ~30 one to two bite-sized puffs)
Choux pastry:
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- 3 tbsp (40g) butter or vegetable oil spread
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour (for gluten structure)
- 2 large eggs
- 2-3 tsp sugar
- Gougères: 3/4 cup grated hard cheese (e.g. parmesan)
- Chouquettes: pearl sugar
- Combine the butter, salt, sugar, and 1/2 cup (125 ml) water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Remove from heat, add the flour all at once, and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until well blended. Return the pan over medium-low heat and keep stirring until the mixture forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Continue stirring over the heat for an additional one to two minutes.
- Remove from heat, and let rest 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one by one, stirring quickly and well after each addition (so as not to “cook” the eggs). The batter will first appear lumpy; but after a minute or so, it will smooth out. (A food processor can be used as well). Test to see if the dough is becoming too wet before adding the second egg. This is called "choux pastry".
- Divide the choux pastry into 2 parts. Add about 3/4s of the grated cheese and the chives to one part, and stir until well-mixed to make the gougères.
- Cover both choux pastries and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a day (allows the dough to rest a bit).
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the batter from the fridge and use two teaspoons – or a piping bag fitted with a plain tip – to form small balls of batter, about the size of a walnut or small cherry tomato with an inch of space between them.
- Chouquettes: Sprinkle with pearl sugar.
- Gougères: Sprinkle with remainder of grated cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re completely golden brown (make sure NOT to open the oven door during the first 10 minutes of baking). Make sure the puffs are completely browned on top and on the sides to prevent deflating after cooling.
- Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the chouquettes and gougères in for another 5 minutes to prevent a temperature shock, which would cause them to deflate.
- Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before serving.
Notes*:
- Salt can be eliminated if the butter or vegetable oil spread already contains salt.
- It is helpful to use a smaller pot for the roux. Mixing will be easier and less strenuous on the arms. Tilting the pot at an angle will also speed up egg incorporation.
- The large sugar crystals that adorn the chouquettes are called "pearl sugar". Granulated sugar can be used instead if pearl sugar cannot be found.
- For extra-crispy puffs, the sides of each puff can be poked to release the steam and returned to the oven to finish baking.
- Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 3 days at most. Reheat for 5-10 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven to restore the original texture. They can be frozen in a zip-top freezer bag for up to one month. Defrost at room temperature, then warm briefly on a baking sheet, until crisp.
Nutrition (out of a batch of 30):
- Chouquette (1 bite-sized) -- 23 calories, 0.9g total fat, 0.2g saturated fat, 14.1mg sodium, 3.1g total carbohydrate, 1.3g sugar, 0.06g fibre, 0.7g protein.
- Gougère (1 bite-sized) -- 42 calories, 2.3g total fat, 1.1g saturated fat, 125mg sodium, 2.5g total carbohydrate, 0.6g sugar, 0.06g fibre, 2.7g protein.
