Wednesday, 6 January 2016

Bacon and Goat Cheese Bread Roll


What is the most hot topic around? Recently, people keep talking about how much they ate during X’Mas when I went to work out in the gym or went swimming in the pool. Yes, I believe everyone enjoyed lots of feasts with your families and friends. So do I. It is very important to have exercise after those delicious food. What are you going to do today after work off? Pick up your walking shoes and just walk to the park. Be healthy and enjoy more delicious food.

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
Baking Time: 20~30 minutes
Recipe: Serve 3~5 people



 
Steps of Bacon and Goat Cheese Bread Roll

(1) Add flour, and salt in the bowl. Mix all ingredients well
(2) Add egg, milk with instant yeast and butter into the bowl. Knead it into the chunk
(Selena’s Kitchen Talk: I reserve 1 table spoon of egg for brushing on the surface of bread.)



 
(3) Move the dough into the floured table. Knead 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) At this moment, prepare a pan. Fry bacon and set aside for later use.


(6) After the first grow-up, move the dough to the working table with light flour. Roll it into around 35X25cm rectangle.

 

(7) Place bacon on the top of bread. Then, add chopped goat cheese and basil leaves on the top of bacon.

 

(8) Roll it up. Slice in the middle of the bread. But, leave one end. Roll it again to shape the bread into a bow.

 

(9) Leave in the warm place to grow up again. It takes around 40~60 minutes. Brush some egg over the top. Then, send it to the pre-heated oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 20~30 minutes until it turns golden on the top.
 


 

It is a very tasty bread roll which can be eaten as the breakfast, light lunch, or your tea time. Try it and let me know your feeling.

Sunday, 3 January 2016

Coconut and Cranberry Tart


Bye bye 2015 and welcome 2016! It is a new year AGAIN. So, why not go and do some things you really want to do?! Don’t wait it. Don’t wait for the right time. There is no right time. Just do it. Make your dream come true. I am so happy for myself when I made decision to study in the UK. I have learned about lots of new things, learned about how to see who I am, what I want to do in the deeper heart, and learned about how to show your respect when there is another opinion. If I didn’t decide to step out and spend all my saving to study abroad, I will not get so much inspiration. Don’t hesitate! Just go and do it

Oven Temperature Setting: 160C/325F/Gas Marker 3
Baking Time: 20~25 minutes
Recipe: 12 Coconut Cranberry Tart


 


 
Steps of Coconut and Cranberry Tart

(1) Roll out 7” pastry thinly(around 0.2cm). Use a 8 cm round cutter to cut 12 round pastry. Line it into 12 cup bun tin. Send it to pre-heat oven at 200C/400F/Gas Marker 6 for around 20 minutes until the top turns golden. Then, set aside.
(2) Then, place 1/2 tea spoon of cranberry jam into the pastry case.


(3) Place butter and sugar in a big bowl. Whisk them until it turns light and fluffy.


(4) Stir coconut and egg into butter.


(5) Place around 1 table spoon over the top of jam.
(6) Send it to the oven at 160C/325F/Gas Marker 3 around 20~25 minutes until it turns golden.


 
This is an adorable little tart for someone who looks for some easy dessert. Enjoy it.



Thursday, 31 December 2015

Broccoli Soup


What did people get from X’Mas gifts? I got aprons, bath gels, a cooking plate, Paul Hollywood’s British Baking… and lots of other things. Thank you... all of my lovely friends!!

In Taiwan, we don’t give gifts to people in Chinese New Year. Instead, we put some money in the red envelop and give to people. It is still a gift, but I think there is a different meaning of getting money and gifts. Money, we just see how much we get it. Gifts, you can see how hard your friends and family choose for you. If I could choose, I would like pick every single gift to my family instead of money. What is your idea?

Recipe: Serve 2~3 people

 


Steps of Broccoli Soup

(1) Prepare a saucepan. Melt butter in the pan.
(2) Add chopped onion into the sauce pan. Cover the lid and cook around 3 minutes.
(3) Add chopped broccoli into the pan. Stir a little bit.

 

 
(4) Add water and stock in the pan. Bring it to boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
(5) Add milk in and keep simmering it for another 5 minutes.

 

 
(6) Blend all ingredients by a hand blender.

 

(7) Add 80 g grazed cheese into the pan. Stir until it melts. Then, switch the heat off. Add some salt if it is needed
(8) Drizzle the rest of cheese before serving the soup.

 

 
This broccoli soup is very creamy and cheesy and full of goodness. Lots of vegetables can offer us all-day energy. It is very good to drink in the winter time. Enjoy it.

 

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

Lemon Oat Bread


Guess which X’Mas movie I saw? Not Miracle on 34th road! Not It's a Wonderful Life. I watched THE HOLIDAY!!

OH My God, it feels like so good to watch again. It gives me more than watching romance movie this time. Of course, the love story in the movie is good. I also like how Iris would like to help Arthur. How Iris cares about Arthur. Maybe, I came to UK alone. Then, I met some friends who would like to care about even though we don’t know each other. The caring they offer is hard to describe by words. The only thing I can say it Thank You to all my friends who have help me in the UK.


Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
Baking Time: 12~15 minutes
Recipe: 8 Lemon Oat Bread



 

Steps of Lemon Oat Bread

(1) Add lemon grazed, flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl. Mix all ingredients well
(2) Add lemon juice, milk with instant yeast and butter into the bowl. Knead it into the chunk


 

(3) Move the dough into the floured table. Knead 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. Knead 80g of oat into the bread
 

 

(6) Separate it to 8 small balls equally. Shape 8 dough into 8 balls, and put on the greased plated. Set aside at a warm place and wait for the dough double the size again. It takes around 40 ~ 60 minutes.

 

(7) After the double the size, glaze some egg over the top and put some oat over the top. 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 is a very lemon bread. You can smell lemon flavor and enjoy lemon at every single bite. So, don’t hesitate and just do it. Enjoy

 

Wednesday, 23 December 2015

Beef Stew with Swede Soup


Congratulation to my friend, Miss S, and me!! We made it. The carol services were good and brilliant :D :D :D It was a very busy week. We needed to practice more and longer to make sure every song is right.

I was so excited before on stage. I was not sure what’s wrong with me?!?! And the choir was so good. We did have a good performance.

 

Recipe: Serve 3~4 people

Steps of Beef Stew with Swede Soup
(1) Dip dice beef with some plain flour. Fry it until it turns brown. Then, set aside.



(2) Use the same pan. Fry onion for around 3 minutes and add carrot and swede in. Cover the lid and fry for another 5 minutes.
 


(3) Add beef back. Add water, beef stock, tomato puree, dry basil. Bring to boil, and then switch the heat off.
(4) Pour the beef stew into slow cooker. Switch to small for around 2 ~3 hours until beef turns tender.



 
Swede makes the soup’s flavor better. I cooked this soup one day before we enjoy it, it was very late. But, we all wanted to open the lid and tasted it immediately. Before the X’Mas feast, try this light soup with all goodness. Enjoy it.

 

Sunday, 20 December 2015

Kentish Huffkins





There are lots of traditional things we might need to do during the X’Mas time. Like, you can’t open your X’Mas gifts until 25th morning. Or, most people still eat turkey as their X’Mas meal. But, more and more people prepare ham or chicken as the replacement. Why do I talk some traditional things today? Because I would like to show you a very local and regional bread, called Kentish Huffkins.
Kentish Huffkins, It is not a very special bread. It is bread with more butter in. Kentish is a small town in the south of England. And, the huffkins was used to call tea bread which is very light and soft. The most important is there is a dimple on the bread, otherwise it is not Kentish Huffkins.

Oven Temperature Setting: 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
Baking Time: 12~15 minutes
Recipe: 8 Kentish Huffkins
 


Steps of Kentish Huffkins

(1) Add flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl. Mix all ingredients well
(2) Add milk with instant yeast and butter into the bowl. Knead it into the chunk


(3) Move the dough into the floured table. Knead 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  8small balls equally.
(6) Shape 8 dough into 8 balls, and put on the greased plated. Set aside at a warm place and wait for the dough double the size again. It takes around 40 ~ 60 minutes.

 

(7) After the double the size, drizzle some flour over the top. Use a finger to poke the hole in the middle of the dough. Brush a little milk or water at the bottom of the dough. 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.
 
 

As the introduction, it is a light and soft bread. Very Yum!! Full of butter flavor. Eating one for tea time is definitely enjoyable. Other people may be envy at you. Enjoy.

 

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Hungarian Chicken Goulash


Go Go Go Leicester!! Oh yes ~~ Congratulation Leicester. Leicester football team won season end champion on Monday. It is a very good gift for people in Leicester. My friend, Miss S, and I drove pass the stadium. OMG, there were lots of people and they all looked very happy. Because we are the season end champion. OH YEAH!! Even though both of us are not fans, we are so proud of them.
 
Another interesting thing is that most people who have no ideas where Leicester is. Now, they know it because of Leicester football team. Hope they can continue their great job in the following seasons.

Recipe: Serve 3~4 people
 

 
Steps of Hungarian Chicken Goulash

(1) Heat the oil up in the sauce pan. Add onion in the pan. Fry around 3 minutes.
(2) Add carrot and tomato in the pan. Cover the lid. Simmer it until it turns tender. Might take around 5~10 minutes.


(3) Blend all ingredients by hand blender. Mix dry basil, tomato purée, and paprika into the sauce. Bring it to boil, and switch the heat off.

(4) Add chicken into the slow cooker. Pour the sauce into the slow cook. Switch it to low and cook for 2~3 hours until the chicken turns tender.

 
Paprika is the spirit of Hungarian Goulash. If you like it, you can increase to 3~4 table spoon. For me 2 table spoon of paprika is perfect. Although the winter this year in the UK is not very cold, I still like to eat this kind of hot food. Enjoy it.