Lemony Curdy

Great sour taste for lemon lovers, ideal to spread on bread

Lemon Curd
Ingredients
3 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces

Directions

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended.

Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted.

Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week.

Makes 1 1/2 cups (360 ml).

Creamless Choco Mousse

This is an old 1980ish recipe from Gabriel Gate, a French born Australian chef. I found it online, tried it and it works.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE W/O CREAM
Ingredients
200g semi-sweet chocolate (best that you can afford)
6 eggs, separated
1 teasp instant/espresso coffee
1 4 teasp rum (or use Grand Marnier if available)
1 teasp white sugar
Pinch salt

Directions
Break chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl with 4teasp water. Slowly whisk until smooth. Remove from heat.
To melted chocolate, add 4 egg yolks, coffee, rum and whisk until smooth.
Add salt to 6 egg whites and beat with an electic mixer until fairly firm, add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Gently incorporate a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate preparation *then* carefully fold in the rest.
Gently spoon the mixture into small souffle/mousse pots and leave to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

Morning Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins

X'mas special - This is how I start my day with homemade muffins.

Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions
Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Mix in milk, egg, and oil; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Fold in cranberries.
Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
Bake at 220 degrees C for 20 to 25 minutes (or until golden brown)

Blueberry Birthday Cake

I like making birthday cakes for my love ones.

I made a cake for my brother for his birthday, and delivered to his home at night.

Blueberry mousse and blueberry jam layered chiffon cake. All made with fresh blueberries.

Pringles Are Not Potato Chips

某天在報章閱讀一則新聞:品客薯片並非真正薯片 - 英國一單稅務訟裁案件中,P&G為了避免支付"薯片稅",証明旗下的品客是薯仔及麵粉的合成物,並非真正薯片。(詳情請參閱以下新聞)

無論勝訴或敗訴,品客都是輸家,當我知道它是假薯片後,完全沒有購買慾。
----------------------------------------------------------

Pringles Are Not Potato Chips, Judge Says in Tax Case
By James Lumley

July 4 (Bloomberg) -- Pringles, Procter & Gamble Co.'s salty snack stacked in a tube, are not potato chips, a London judge ruled today in a tax dispute.

Pringles don't fulfill the legal definition of ``potato crisp,'' the British word for ``chip,'' allowing them to be sold tax free in the U.K., Justice Nicholas Warren at the High Court in London ruled.

Under U.K. law, most food is exempt from Britain's 17.5 percent sales tax. Even so, the national tax office claimed that Pringles were covered by an exception for products such as potato chips, sticks or puffs ``and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch.''

Procter & Gamble's lawyers claimed at a May hearing that Pringles don't look like a chip, don't feel like a chip, and don't taste like a chip, according to the judgment. They also claim the snack isn't made like a chip since it is cooked from baked dough, not potato slices.

Potato chips ``give a sharply crunchy sensation under the tooth and have to be broken down into jagged pieces when chewed,'' the Cincinnati-based company's lawyers argued. ``It is totally different with a Pringle, indeed a Pringle is designed to melt down on the tongue.''

Warren agreed. Pringles aren't ``made from the potato'' for the purposes of the tax office's exemption, he said. He didn't say what Pringles are, other than that they're tax-exempt.

The U.K. tax office said in an e-mailed statement that it would consider the judgment ``with a view to deciding whether to appeal.''

In a similar case in April the U.K. government was told by Europe's highest court, the European Court of Justice, to entirely refund Marks & Spencer Group Plc more than 20 years-of sales duty charged on chocolate-covered tea cakes.

Between 1971 and 1994 the tax office incorrectly classified them as biscuits, which are taxable, rather than cakes, which aren't.

To contact the reporter on this story: James Lumley in London at jlumley1@bloomberg.net.

Source:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aokzMEmJs.HA&refer=us

好奇心泡芙

不幸的牛奶吐司

My Focaccia

最近開始研究不用牛油製作的食品,一於做意大利香草麵包!

材料

A

高筋麵粉 250g

糖 7g

鹽 4g

乾依士 4g

黑椒碎 1/2 茶匙

意大利雜香草 1 茶匙

----------------

橄欖油 15g

暖水 160g

Rosemary(飾面) 小量

橄欖油 (飾面) 小量

其他可用配料:新鮮洋葱,蕃茄乾或黑橄欖

另備手粉

做法:

1. 將A材料放在mixing bowl內,但鹽要跟乾依士分開放(我會在麵粉堆裡挖一個洞放進鹽,依士則放面,確保浸到水)

2. 加暖水160g浸泡約5分鐘.必須浸到乾依士

3. 加入橄欖油

4. 用手把mixing bowl內的材料抓成一團

5. 桌面灑上手粉,把mixture拿出,放在桌面搓.如太黏手,加入手粉

6. 搓至差不多乾身,放入其他材料,如洋葱或蕃茄乾.繼續搓至麵糰光滑和不黏手

7. 把麵團放進已塗油之mixing bowl, 蓋上保鮮紙,放在溫暖地方發酵45min至1hr, 發至3-4倍大

8. 把麵團取出,略拉長,像摺A4 size的信一般,把麵團的左,右面邊摺向中間. 若要做小麵包,則先把麵糰分成每份150g再摺.

9. 把麵團放mixing bowl或放桌上,蓋上保鮮紙,再發酵7-10分鐘

10. 準備塗好油或已鋪紙焗盆

11.造形.可摺成小球,封上保鮮紙,或扯成一大片放在焗盆中,用手指或用具手柄在麵團上戳上洞洞,塗橄欖油,加上蒜蓉或Rosemary

12. 再發酵約30分鐘, 發至2倍大

13. 焗爐預熱200度

14. 焗約15分鐘或至金黃色

後記:

我用了自家製新鮮rosemary,味道更鮮

完成品點basamic vinegar吃或配搭egg salad或cheese味道一流

吃一碗刀削麵

05. 2007 東陽.浙江.中國
星期天休息到東陽商城買布，出來一時多，剛好肚子餓，鑽進一間牛肉麵小館，廚師侍應是戴帽子包頭巾的大西北模樣，或多或少也該有點西部風情。我坐下來叫了一碗刀削麵，小碗的，廚師馬上在我面前削麵條，一條條麵飛進燙水裡充滿娛樂性，再加幾片薄得能溶於水裡的牛肉，精美得很。盛惠三元正。

餐卡慢食

香港往北京的"京九快線"（T97/8次）算是中國最豪華的列車，單程票價每位一千二百元的高級包廂已告訴我它的地位。

京九直通車以北京為終點站，全程約需二十四小時。這麼長途的客車，必然會面對一日三餐的問題。要解決吃的當然有很多方法，乘務員販賣的餐盒，康師傅泡麵，自行帶上車的餅食玉米麵包悉隨專便，當然少不了餐卡的份兒。

愛理不理

在天津，不吃狗不理好像跟自己過不去似的。常常感覺狗不理這個名字很硬，會掟死人的硬。

去了最正宗的店（至少旅遊書這樣寫）吃飽子，掟我唔死，仲皮薄薄，餡多，肉味鮮，正！

狗不理，我理，反正我唔鍾意狗，無損失。

天津 . 2004

前門涼皮

2004盛夏呆在北京十多天，早飯最常吃這位亞姨弄的涼皮。亞姨的陝西涼皮攤檔在前門大柵欄那邊。檔子有桌子椅子遮陽傘，坐著吃也可以。一般來說攤檔放有很多碗調味料，配菜，一個放涼皮的容器，還有作涼麵的麵條。由於我不吃辣，每次都是要一碗不放辣椒，亞姨便會先拿一片涼皮切細，加些黃瓜，麵筋，麻醬，醋，醬油，白糖，味精（內地人好像沒有這個不行似的），用筷子撈撈便成。吃了數遍，亞姨記住了我不吃辣，我基乎不用說甚麼，一碗涼皮兒便放在我面前。味道嘛，吃起來集酸、麻、香於一身，清涼可口。涼皮有趙頭，吸收了醬汁的麵筋味特別濃，不知不覺幹掉一大碗，好一個一天的開始。吃上了癮，回到香港吃不到那個味道，老是想著回北京吃涼皮兒。

2005年初夏再到前門，看不見亞姨蹤影，幸好別的攤做的味道不賴。

北京. 2004