Streusel-Topped Lemon Tart

Hello everyone, here is on of my favorite dessert. It is simple and easy to make. Lemon is one of my favorite flavor, I've often used it for baking cake, tart, pie, candies, squares etc. Lemons and limes are often called for in recipes in the form of juice. As they will produce more juice when warmer, always juice them when they are at room temperature or place them in a bowl of warm water for several minutes. Rolling them under the palm of your hand on a flat surface will also help to extract more juice.

If your recipe calls for lemon or lime zest, make sure that you use fruit that is fresh /organically grown since most conventionally grown fruits will have pesticide residues on their skin. After washing and drying the lemon or lime, use a zester, paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the zest, which is the colored part of the peel. Make sure not to remove too much of the peel as the white pith underneath is bitter and should not be used. The zest can then be more finely chopped or diced if necessary.

so, enjoy baking......

Streusel-Topped Lemon Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:

1¼ cups all purpose flour

⅓ c confectioner's sugar

½ tsp. grated lemon zest

½ cup + 2 tbsp. cold butter

Filling:

4 eggs

1½ cup sugar

1½ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp, baking powder

1 tbsp. grated lemon zest

Topping:

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

3 tbsp. cold butter

½ cup chopped pecan

confectioner's sugar

* In small bowl, combine flour, confectioner's sugar, and lemon zest,
   cut in butter until crumbly. Press into the bottom of baking pan.

* Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until crust is slightly browned.
  Cool down before use.

* Mix flour, baking powder, and lemon zest, set aside.

* Cream eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until thick and lemon-colored.
  Add the flour mixture until well blended. Pour into crust. Bake for
  20-25 minutes or until set.

* For topping, combine flour and brown sugar, cut in the butter until
  crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling. Bake for 20-25 minutes
 longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
 Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioner's sugar.
 Refrigerate leftover.

   

  

Traditional Pound Cake

The recipe for pound cake was a simple ratio that everyone knew by heart: butter, sugar, eggs and flour, is that easy? I've discovered that most traditional pound cake recipes and I've tried many-yields a cake that's both too sturdy and too dry for modern tastes. My updated version tweaks the classic formula to produce a cake that's soft and moist yet still has the classic flavor and springy texture, this remarkably simple and remains true to my idea of what a pound cake should be--a moist, fluffy, buttery slice of heaven.

      

                                        
                                         

                                        

Traditional Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups cake flour

1½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

3 large eggs, room temperature

⅔ cup whole milk, room temperature

1½ teaspoon , pure vanilla extract

* Preheat oven at 350°F. Butter the pan, dust the pan with flour and tap 

  out the excess.

* In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt set aside

* Beat butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 

  minutes. Reduce in speed, add egg yolks beat until smooth. Stop the 

  mixer scrape the bowl and paddle. With the mixer running on medium

  low speed, add the eggs one at the time. Again, stop and scrape the

  bowl and paddle to incorporate.

* Add half of the flour mixture and mix just combine, add milk and mix

  and add the remaining flour mixture and mix well.

* Scrape the bowl one last time, then add the vanilla extract, mix the 

  batter until smooth and fluffy, 20-30 seconds.

* Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden 

  brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Honey-Garlic and Cheese Rolls Bread

This is one of my favorite bread roll recipes. A yummy honey-garlic topping turns these easy dinner rolls into something extra special. I love to serve it while still warm. I just cant get enough every little bite I have and must be on the table every weekend as requested.....

This simple and easy recipes will surely bring joy on the table either, breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea or dinner. 

HONEY-GARLIC CHEESE ROLLS BREAD

Ingredients:  

2½ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoon sugar

2¼ teaspoon quick rise yeast

½ teaspoon salt

¾ warm water

2 tablespoon plus 4 tsp. melted butter (divided)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 teaspoon honey

1⁄8 teaspoon garlic salt

* Combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add warm water and 2 tablespoon

   butter beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Stir in cheese and 

   enough remaining flour to form a soft dough

* Turn on slightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic about 4-5 minutes

   

* Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Divided into 8 pieces, shape in a ball, place

  in a greased round baking pan. Cover and let stand in warm place for 30 minutes.

* Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

* Combine honey and garlic salt and the remaining butter, brush over rolls then 

  serve.

Perfect Pancakes

Who can resist a pile of fresh pancakes or waffles, oozing with maple syrup or with a tasty topping. Many cultures all over the world celebrate this wonderful dish, with may variation. The basic ingredients for a basic batter are all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk or other liquid and oil or butter, with simple ingredients you can make different variety and flavor just adding to the pancakes and waffles.

                                       

  

PERFECT PANCAKES

1½ cups flour

3 tbsp. sugar

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. of milk

4 tbsp. butter 

1 egg 

* Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

* Whisk milk, butter, and egg, fold into flour mixture until just combine.

* Brush a large nonstick or griddle with butter and heat over medium-low heat.

  Add ¼ cupfuls of batter and cook until bubbly on top and golden on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom about 2 minutes.

Try this all time pancake favorite toppings:

Strawberries and Cream

* Toss 2 cups chopped strawberries with ½ cup brown sugar, let sit at least 1 hour.

   Top pancakes with the berries and their juices and sour cream, sprinkle with 

   brown sugar

Double Berry Compote

* Simmer 1½ cups maple syrup, 1 cup mixed blueberries and blackberries, and 

   few slices of ginger for 15 minutes, off the heat, stir in another ½ cup of berries.

Marmalade Butter and Yogurt

* Melt 1 stick of butter in a saucepan with ¼ cup orange marmalade and a pinch of salt, whisk to combine. Top pancakes with plain yogurt and drizzle with the marmalade butter.

Chocolate-Banana Crunch

* Microwave 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate with 3 tbsp. heavy cream

  and 2 tbsp. honey in 30 second interval, stirring until smooth. Top pancakes

  with sliced bananas, the chocolate sauce and granola.

Bacon-Pecan Syrup

* Cook 4 strips of bacon until crisps; crumble. Cook ½ cup chopped pecans into 

   1 tbsp. bacon fats for 2 minutes, add 1½ cups maple syrup, the bacon and ¼ cider vinegar, heat through.

INTRO

Baking is without any doubt the most rewarding of culinary experiences. To mix together the most unpromising looking collection of ingredients, put them in an oven, and have them emerge as a truly delicious creation is nothing short of a miracle.

No wonder, then, that there is something of a mystery to the whole process that is often daunting to an inexperienced cook. In reality, however, its nowhere near as difficult as it might appear to bake a sumptuous large cake, a melt in the mouth muffin, your favorite pie, a loaf of bread to serve fresh from the oven, or an elegant savory tart and these are just a few examples of the wonderful baking recipes I would love to share in this blog.

Nothing equalls the satisaction of the home baking. No commercial cake mix or store-bought cookie can match one that is made from the best fresh ingredients with all the added enjoyment that baking at home provides-the enticing aromas that fill the house and stimulate appetites, the delicious straight from the oven flavor, as well as the pride of having created such wonderful goodies yourself.

So, I am overwhelved to share all good foods that you might love and try at home. No one can compare homemade food, made by your own hands and wrap with pure love, passions and beauty, so let go started and explore the new adventures of baking.

All comments and questions are so much welcome...

Happy Baking....

Introductory

Finally, I came up an idea to start writing a blog to share some of my favorite foods I've had been tried made from scratch, Im so bless to have a Chef husband who taught and trained me to be a good pastry chef. He always said "You don't have to go to school to learned something or be a good cook or baker, its all about you, its all in your mind, your passion and willingness to learn by your own". When I was young, one of the most  I hated things to do is leaving me alone in the kitchen and cooked meals for the family, (its ruined my day) yes, you can asked me to do any household chores and I would never say no, and believe me everything will turn upside down. I've would never imagined that one day the things I hated most now love of my life..."cooking", surely you may ask how possibly these happened ? well..simple question with simple answer...."everyone loves to eat so do I" meaning.... I need to learned basic cooking, at first, it was an awkward moved because I can go anywhere else  look for the best restaurant or bakeshop grab something I really wanted to eat, but instead I grabbed a recipe book and tried to impressed myself and of course my Chef husband, you might know what happened after..absolutely,  the whole kitchen turned smoggy....to make story short it was disaster (huhuhu)!

I almost gave up, but thanks to my husband, my mentor. He always encouraged me to play with it, add more passion and love, so I started reading more recipe books, watching any cooking/baking TV programs, searching online and practicing more and more often until it became perfect and that was the beginning to the fairy tale story  of hate to  love cooking...slurp!