Cheese Scone

X’Mas is closer and closer. Have you put every X’Mas decoration? Do you get your X’Mas jumper? Or, do you start to listen X’Mas songs? When our lives become digitalized, those X’Mas decorations are digitalized as well. When I walked passed our neighbor couple days ago, I saw some scary things. I think, “Oh My God, don’t tell me I see the ghost.” Then I found out I was wrong. It is a light show. There are Santa, snowflake, firework… Those project lights are not always there so you will see some shadow. Technology!! It does make our life easy and make our life scary. Haha

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/ Gas Mark 6

Baking Time: 12~15 minutes
Recipe: 8 Cheese Scone

 

Steps of Cheese Scone
(1) Add flour, baking powder and salt in a big bowl. Mix a little bit. Then, use your finger tips to rub butter into flour. It will turn into breadcrumbs like
(2) Add 80 g grazed cheese into the mixture. Mix cheese into the crumbs like flour until it distributed evenly.
(3) Add milk and egg into the bowl. Use a knife to mix everything well. Do not over mix it. It should be soft, but a firm dough.
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: I leave one table spoon of egg for the brushing.)

(4) Then, turn the dough into a floured table. Roll it into a round shape with 1.5 cm height. Cut into quarters firstly, then half each quarter diagonally.

 

(5) Place cut scone on a greased plate. Brush some egg over the top. Drizzle the left cheese over the top. Send them into a pre-heat oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for around 12~15 minutes until it turns golden over the top.

 

 

Scone is very easy to make it. It is my lazy baking. I mean I want to eat some dessert, but I am lazy to do some complicated one. Then, making scone could be my choice for my lazy. So, after hard work on house decoration, why not have a scone with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy it.

Sesame Bread

At the end of a year, we are all asked to think about what we did right for this year? What did we do still have room to improve? I start this blog after submitting my dissertation this August!! Some people ask me why I would like to write a blog. It is simply. I start from knowing nothing on how to bake to know a little how to bake. It is not only sharing the recipe, but also sharing how much happiness I enjoy it. In Asia, we have few chance to bake. Oven is not the must-to-have kitchenware in Taiwan. I learn everything from the very beginning. So, I think if I can do it. Lots of people can do it. At the end of this year, I would like to encourage people on trying some new things. Then, you will explore out your adventure.

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6

Baking Time: Around 15 minutes
Recipe: 8 Sesame Bread

                      

Steps of Sesame Bread

(1) Add flour, salt and sugar into a big bowl. Mix a little.
(2) Add 110 ml water with instant yeast and egg into the bowl. Knead it into the chunk
(*Selena’s Kitchen Talk: I leave 1 table spoon of egg for brushing.
**Selena’s Kitchen Talk: My instant yeast’s instruction is to add yeast in the water around 5 minutes. Check the instruction before using it.)
(3) Then, knead olive oil into the dough.

 

(4) Move the dough into the floured table. Knead milk into the dough gradually until it turns softer and more elastic.

(5) Shape the dough into a ball and put back to the bowl. Leave the dough in a warm place to double its size. It takes around 90 ~ 120 minutes

(6) After the first grow-up, move the dough to the working table with light flour. Separate it to 8 small balls equally.

 

 

(7) Roll one small ball into a long stick. Fold in one side and press it into a flat dough. And lightly moisten both ends with water. Using the flat end wraps another end and press to join. Slightly widen the hole in the middle.

(8) Brush egg over the top. And then, drizzle some sesame over the top.

(9) Repeat step (7) and (8) for the rest of 7 dough.
(10) Set aside at a warm place and wait for bagels double the size again. It takes around 40 ~ 60 minutes.

(11) After the double the size, send them into the pre-heat oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. It takes around 15 minutes until it turns golden on the top.

 

 

It has a very crispy surface. I like it to serve warm and be split with butter. It will make bread moister. Try this new style bread and enjoy it.

 

Beef and Mushroom Pasta

Apart from X’Mas decoration, X’Mas tree and Advent Calendar, there is one more interesting thing in the UK. That is “X’Mas crackers”. It is used to pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at parties. According to Wikipedia, it is not widely popular in the whole world. It is more like a traditional X’Mas play in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. X’Mas crackers is a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated X’Mas wrapping paper. Inside the cracker, there are a color paper hat, a small toy and other trinket and a motto. Then, you need to wear that paper hat during your meal and say the trinket to everyone. I can’t wait to see what my small toy is this time in my X’Mas cracker.

Recipe: Serve for 2 people

 

Steps of Beef and Mushroom Pasta
(1) Prepare a sauce pan for Fettuccine Alfredo. Add it into the boiling water and add a little salt in. Cook around 6 minutes.
(2) Prepare a sauce pan. Add some olive oil and heat on a medium heat. Cook around 3 minutes.

(3) Add thinly sliced beef into the pan, keep stirring until it turns medium. Then, set aside.

(4) Use same pan to cook mushroom. Add some oil if needed. Cover the lid and cook around 2 minutes.

(5) Add cooked Fettuccine Alfredo in the pan. Add around 200 ml pasta water in the pan and beef stock. Cook until the Fettuccine Alfredo ready.

(6) Add beef and onion back. Mix all ingredients well. Add some salt if needed.

 

In Taiwan, those mushrooms are very popular that it is one way I usually cooked it and I love it. Italian people will not disagree of me, but pasta can be used for lots of different food. Even for Indian curry, it is my way of cooking. Try and enjoy it.

Classic New York Cheesecake

It is only 18 days to X’Mas. Ready? Ready? Ready? Some families start to decorate their houses. You can see those hanging lights, X’Mas tree, wreath and different kind of hanging stars and hearts. Soon, you can see almost every house’s decoration. Sometime, it is like a competition. See whose house has the brightest lights, or see whose house gets the beautiful decoration. Guess what kind of the decorations our house will have?

 

Oven Temperature Setting: 170C/350F/Gas Mark 4

Baking Time: Around 40~50 minutes
Recipe: A 7” Classic New York Cheesecake

 

Steps of Classic New York Cheesecake

(1) Prepare Shortbread Crust: Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Whisk them until the butter turns a light and fluffy. And flour into the bowl. Mix flour into the butter. Line the dough to the baking tray. Bake at pre-heat oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 around 10 minutes until the top turns golden.

(2) Separate egg white and egg yolk. Whisk egg white until it has stiff peaks form. Add lemon juice in when there are some bubble s at whisking. Then, set aside.

(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: The bowl used for egg white must be very clean.)

(3) Add soft cream, double cream, vanilla extract into bowl with yolk. Mix all ingredients well.

(4) Add sugar, flour, and cornstarch into the batter. Well-mixed all ingredients.

(5) Fold the stiff egg white into the soft cream batter gradually and lightly.

(6) Pour the batter over the top of baked shortbread crust and send to the oven at 170C/350F/Gas Mark 4 around 40~50 minutes

 

Believe me, classic New York cheesecake is such a easy job. And you can bake at home totally. The cheese flavor is very strong like what we eat at restaurant!! Come and try it. Enjoy :D

Apple Crumble Pie

X’mas is 22 days left. Are you ready? Taiwan is not a Christ country so that we don’t really celebrate X’mas. Of course, most of us have no ideas what the story of X’Mas. Why do people celebrate X’Mas? Although this is my second X’mas, I really understand the meaning of X’Mas this year. It’s good. People can go travelling every time. But, it is difficult to understand their culture and festivals in their countries. I know why we should be encouraged to go and see the world. Because you will know and learn more during the adventure.

Oven Temperature Setting: 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4

Baking Time: 20~25 minutes
Recipe: A 7” Apple Crumble Pie

Shortcrust Pastry Link

 

 

Steps of Apple Crumble Pie

(1) Prepare a sauce pan. Put sugar, chopped apple and blackberry in the pan. Switch the medium heat on. Cook around 5~10 minutes until it turns soft. Dry the filling. Set aside.

 

(2) Prepare crumble: Add Sugar and flour in a big bowl. Mix a little bit. Add cubed butter in the bowl. Use your finger tips to rub the butter into flour until it turns crumb-like.

 

 

(3) Get shortcrust pastry ready. Pour the apple filling over the top of the pastry. And then, cover the apple filling with crumble. Send into the pre-heat oven at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 around 20~25 minutes until it turns golden.

 

 

 

I like this kind of pie a lot. It is not really a cake. It is more fruit dessert. Sweet and sour flavor… um… yum… yum… This pie was eaten out by 4 people. We ate with custard and ice cream. So, enjoy it.

Beef Mince with Sweet Potato

It is so weird today that it is so HOT. I check the temperature that it goes to around 13 degree C in the morning. Doing some house works this morning lets me sweat immediately. I really think I am living in a very warm house.

Last night, we went to choir practice for the carol services. It was very funny. Our director couldn’t remember what he has told to us. When we sang what he told us, he looked at us confusedly. Then, we needed to remind him what was happened. I hope everything will be fine soon because I am so nervous about this. It is only 2 weeks left.

Recipe: Serve around 2~3 people

 

 

Steps of Beef Mince with Sweet Potato

(1) Prepare a saucepan. Boil the chopped sweet potato for 10 minutes. Then, dry it and set aside.

 

(2) Get another sauce pan. Add some oil, and then fry half of sliced onion for 3 minutes.

(3) Add beef mince into the pan. Fry the beef mince until it turns golden.
(4) Add beef stock, water, salt, and dry basil into the pan. Mix all of them well. Simmer beef mince for 10 minutes. Then, leave in a bowl and set aside.

 

(5) Use the same pan to fry another half of onion and sweet potato for around 3 minutes. Add some oil if needed.

(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: If you like crispier on your sweet potato, you can cook longer.)
(6) Add beef mince back to the pan. Mix it with sweet potato. Add some salt if needed.

 
I did this meal because I got some beef mince and sweet potato left. I just tried to cook them together. But, I was so surprised that it is very delicious. Serve this with some vegetable than you get all nutrition you need. Enjoy it.

Butter Roll

Advent calendar should be another game expected by children during X’mas, shouldn’t it? A very special box is used to count down the day to X’MAS. People can open a window every day. And there is always a chocolate or sweetie inside. So, today is 1^st December that I believe lots of children can’t wait to open their advent calendar. There are only 24 days left to X’mas. Every family is very busy in preparation. Get X’mas tree out, assemble it, and decorate it. Let us count down to X’Mas together!

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6

Baking Time: 12~15 minutes
Recipe: 16 Butter Rolls

 Steps of Butter Roll

(1) Add flour, salt and sugar into a big bowl. Mix a little.

(2) Add 210 ml milk with instant yeast and egg into the bowl. Knead it into the chunk
(*Selena’s Kitchen Talk: I leave 1 Table Spoon of egg for the brushing later.
**Selena’s Kitchen Talk: My instant yeast’s instruction is to add yeast in the water around 5 minutes. Check the instruction before using it.)

(3) Knead olive oil into the dough. Then, keep kneading the dough until it turns softer and more elastic.

(4) Shape the dough into a ball and put back to the bowl. Leave the dough in a warm place to double its size. It takes around 90 ~ 120 minutes

(5) After the first grow-up, move the dough to the working table with light flour. Separate it to 2 equally.

(6) Get 1 dough. Roll it to a circle. The diameter is around 30 minutes

(7) Brush butter over the top. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.

(8) Roll into the crossiant-like from the base of triangle

(9) Repeat step (6)~(8) for another dough. Then, Brush some egg and leave in the warm place to grow up. It takes around 40~60 minutes

(10) Send it into the pre-heat oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Bake it around 12~15 minutes until the top turns golden.

I like this butter roll since I was in Taiwan. Finally, I got time to bake it. The taste is like what I ate. The bread absorbs the flavor of butter. Every bite you can enjoy it. If you are butter-lovers, Come and try this bread. And ENJOY IT!