The Asian Bakery Experience

Egg Tarts a.k.a The Dan Tats a.k.a 蛋撻
(My Favourite Egg Tarts in Newcastle are from Jasmine's Bakery.
Go and get 'em while you can!)

One of my favourite things when walking down the street is getting a whiff of freshly baked bread or the distinct delicious smell of food that has just been cooked. Does anyone get excited by just the smell of food? I certainly do, but that’s not the only thing.. It instantly makes me hungry too! Whenever I pass a bakery, I can’t help but stop to have a little peak inside, or just walk in to see what has caused my curiosity. 

Bakeries are a great place as they provide a wide selection of goodies from the oven, often including bread, cakes, pastries, desserts and very interesting signature concoctions. Most of us are familiar with the average English bakery in the UK, some more commercialised and well-known compared to other small family businesses, depending where in the country you are. However, I do believe that not everyone has had a Chinese Bakery Experience, but of course me being Chinese, I must share this with you all. Bakeries have your typical breads, cakes, pastries and desserts, but with Asian bakeries there are many unique flavours with a selection of sweet and savoury.

If you live in Newcastle or the nearby area, do stop by the local Chinese Bakery to experience it fully. There are countless delectable goods waiting to be tasted; many of which Asians eat regularly and are considered firm family favourites. I recently visited “Bread Point” in Newcastle, a well-known Chinese bakery and was inspired to share this with you all. 

See for yourself the variety of baked goods they offer!

Red Bean Pastry

Ham, Cheese & Sweetcorn Bun

Sausage Bun

Custard Bun

Coconut & Cream Bun

Also, they do cakes too.. So if Asian buns aren't your cup of tea.. Go for some yummy cake!

Wendy x

Recipe: Strawberry & Cream Choux Pastry Puffs

So this week I was inspired by BBC1’s Great British Bake Off (which is on TV Wednesdays @ 8pm), by their theme of the week.. Pastries! I haven’t made pastries in a long while, however one of the reasons I think that I tend to avoid making pastries is because the process requires a lot of time. With pastries you must practice practice practice, follow the instructions step by step exactly as they require because the ratio of ingredients are crucial to the outcome. Pastries come in all different types, shapes and sizes; some of the more well-known pastries include Shortcrust, Puff, Filo & Choux. There are some that may be more difficult to make than others however pastries are very versatile, delivering both sweet & savoury favourites. Definitely do some research and give them a go. There is nothing more rewarding than putting a great deal of hard work into making something like pastry, nailing it and people showing their appreciation towards your hard work.

Click on the BBC Food website below to look at the different types of pastries and also gain some new ideas on Pastry recipes.

All About Pastries

I will always remember the day I made pastry during a Food Technology lesson in High School. It was one of the days I believed I finally cracked it in the kitchen and helped to motivate me to cook at home. When we think of desserts, we generally think cake, crumbles, pies, ice cream or something made of chocolate. The dessert I’m posting today is Choux pastry inspired, ultimately a profiterole, but I will be tweaked slightly. The recipe is the actual recipe that I used in school and kept after all this time. So here goes…

All you need is:

125ml Water

65g Plain Flour

50g Margarine

2 Eggs

1 Carton of Double Cream

1 Box of Strawberries

100g Chocolate (optional)

Baking Tray

Baking Paper / Greaseproof Paper / Foil

Piping Bag

Saucepan

Wooden Spoon

❶ Preheat oven to 210°c / Gas Mark 7 then grease flat baking tray directly, or simply place Baking paper onto the tray.

❷ Put water and margarine in a pan together, heat until the margarine has all melted.

❸ Keeping it on the heat, quickly add flour into the mixture and mix into a firm dough. (You should keep the pan on the heat, this cooks the flour in the mixture)

❹ Once everything is all combined, take the pan off the heat to rest & cool.

 (Make a well in the mixture so that it helps to cool quicker. The reason why you must cool the mixture before adding the eggs is because the heat may scramble/cook the eggs if it is mixed in straight away.) 

When you think the mixture is cool enough beat in the eggs one at a time and combine. (I always find that cracking the 2 eggs into a measuring jug beforehand and pouring the egg in a little at a time is the best, because sometimes both eggs will make the mixture too runny. What you want is a firm/thick but slightly runny dough.)

❺ Transfer the mixture from the pan into the piping bag, then pipe small ball shapes onto the baking tray. (Don’t pipe the balls too close together as you must allow room for growth, due to the pastry expanding)

❻ Place in the oven for 30 minutes to bake.

❼ Once they are out of the oven, leave them to completely cool before anything else. Then whip your cream, melt your chocolate (optional) or prepare any fruits you may be using to decorate.

I chose to use Double cream whisked together with 2 tablespoons of Icing sugar and using Strawberries to decorate & serve.

Now all you have to do is share them or just eat them, probably the latter.

 Enjoy!

Wendy x

Shopping @ Lakeland

Shopping is one of my favourite pastimes, whether it be shopping for clothes, groceries or home items. So kitchen items would be no different.. Hence this blog post. I decided to step into Lakeland recently, which is the most amazing store in the UK that sells wonderful kitchenware. I finally got my hands on the 7 piece professional piping set, (I’ve been eyeing for so long) which was very conveniently on sale in store. Unfortunately, I am still yet to use them but I will eventually.. Don’t you worry! Piping sets are great for practicing your decorating skills and also to find out whether you have a steady hand or not.  Not only that, but it enables you to experiment with different types of Buttercreams, icings and toppings on cakes, desserts or even savoury dishes. Most importantly though, is that if you don’t get it the first time, like most things practice goes a long way and you can only get better, right?

I also picked up the Lakeland 50^th Anniversary Recipe Book as it looked very inviting whilst flicking through the pages. I’m looking forward to trying out the recipes and gaining some inspiration from the many chef’s featured inside the book. What I didn’t know until I got home was that all the book's proceeds go to BBC Children In Need, which is a plus side as you can help to donate and make a difference. So if the pictures of the food, or prospect of learning how to cook delicious meals isn’t enough.. Then surely donating to a worthy cause is.

What I was surprised to find in Lakeland was this next item. I saw it and just immediately thought “I NEED this!” A Storage container for Hair Styling Tools, I know… Just what?! Not your usual kitchenware. As much as it was an impulse buy, I’m sure this item will be used to the very maximum. And you can guess what I did straight away when I got home, well apart from taking pictures of all these purchases, I filled this storage container with my hairdryer, curler and straighteners. #win

Although I’m sure kitchenware is the last thing you want to be shopping for, I challenge you to step into Lakeland and have a look around.. Not a half-hearted trudge through random aisles, but walk through every aisle with enthusiasm! I’m sure that you will find one thing that catches your eye and will persuade you to buy it.. Or you may see a specific item that you didn’t know existed, which will certainly intrigue you.. OR you could possibly see an item which you never in a million years thought the store would sell. 
Don’t be afraid.. The shopping is for guys as much as it is for girls! 

If you're still unsure... Visit the Lakeland website to have a little look!

Lakeland, the home of creative kitchenware


Wendy x

Recipe: Flapjacks

Flapjacks couldn't be simpler as a baking recipe and rarely will there be any mishaps or complications. This sticky, nutty and oat-y snack will be the beginning of your baking journey and I assure you that whether you fail or succeed, this recipe will be a hit. One of the great things about home cooking is that you know what ingredients are going into your food and you can control and alter it to your own taste. Cooking and baking is all about trial and error, experimenting and finding out what YOU like. So why not start with flapjacks! Once you have conquered a basic recipe like this, you will be letting out your inner chef / cook! 
(*Also, many of the ingredients used can be substituted for some that you may prefer.. Don't let me tell you what you can and can't put in, go ahead and experiment with your own personal preferences*

All you need is:

200g Porridge Oats

100g Soft Light Brown Sugar

125g Butter (Unsalted)

2 Tablespoons of Golden Syrup

50g Mixed Nuts (such as Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Pistachios etc)

A Pinch of Salt (optional)

_____________________________________________________________
Square Baking Tin (Greased)
Baking Paper / Greaseproof Paper / Foil
Scales for measuring
A Pan & Wooden Spoon
Spoon

Once you have all of your ingredients.. Go ahead and measure them all out.
Here I've chosen to go for Pecan Nuts, they taste so good. :)

Just like so..
(I like to keep the syrup in the bottle so its easier to add to the mixture
without having to waste time scraping the syrup off the spoon.)

❶ Now set your oven to 150°c / Gas Mark 2.

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❷ Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a pan to melt on a low / medium heat, 

gently stirring until the butter has melted.

It should end up looking something like this.
If the mixture begins to bubble, don't worry as long as you keep an eye on it and it doesn't burn.
Once it is all combined, take it off the heat.

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❸ Pour the oats, salt and chopped nuts into the pan and mix mix mix 

until it becomes oat-y, sticky goodness.

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❹ Now transfer this mixture onto the prepared baking tray and spread evenly. (Make sure the mixture reaches to all the corners and the surface is flat.)

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❺ Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes 

(May need more time, but you will know when it is done. If you take the tray out and the mixture is still runny, leave it in for another 5-10 minutes.

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❻ Set your timer to 30 minutes, or watch the clock like a hawk.

I think it's the right time to introduce you to my trusty kitchen assistant.. Penny!

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❼ Once it has finished baking, take it out of the oven and let it set
 for about 10 minutes before you do anything else.
Then lift the baking sheet with the flapjacks and place it on a cooling tray / rack (if you have one)


Now cut and plate 'em up!!

Enjoy!!

Wendy x