All posts tagged: Baking

Easy Holiday Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

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One of the simplest crowd pleasing appetizer in my holiday cooking arsenal is this delectable baked brie in puff pastry. My version smothers creamy cheese with honey, cranberries and chopped nuts and then wrapped in a delicious puff pastry…just to be extra. Serve this salty and sweet melted cheese with thin slices of French bread or crackers to kick off the holiday season or any season of the year. Difficulty: Easy / Time: 30 minutes / Servings: for 4-6 people Ingredients: 1 Brie circle or camembert 1/2 cup of unsalted roasted nuts of your choice 1/2 cup of dried berries of your choice. My favorite is a mix of dried cranberries and other berries. 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry slightly chilled but not frozen (You can defrost frozen puff pastry in the fridge.) 3/4 to 1 cup of honey, depending on your preference for sweetness 1 egg for egg wash Crackers or your choice of bread Directions: Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Rough chop 1/2 cups of roasted nuts …

Easy No-Knead French Baguettes

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I have successfully made traditional French baguettes with the stretch and fold kneading techniques; however, the whole process can be quite labor-intensive and require some acumen to work with the wet dough. After teaching my younger cousin how to make traditional baguettes and seeing how he struggled with the wet dough, I wanted to make a beginner-friendly version. I tested different techniques and proofing time and came back to my No-Knead Artisan Bread recipe. I figure why not use that as a basis since the bread came out with a nice crust and airy insides. Low and behold, it works! Although the no-knead baguette will not be as crusty or springy as using the stretch and fold technique, it still has a similar texture and taste of a more traditional baguette. The differences between the two baguettes are marginal unless you are a die-hard bread connoisseur. Serving Size: 3 large baguette / Difficulty: Easy / Time: Rest time of  up to 26 hours – Work time of 15-30 minutes Ingredients: 450 grams of bread flour …

Bánh patê sô (Vietnamese Meat Pastry)

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Another snack I really enjoyed as a child was bánh patê sô.  Bánh patê sô is a Vietnamese savory puff pastry that is likely derived from the French colonization.  Many of the Vietnamese cuisines have flavors and techniques from the French culinary tradition.  How else would we have the ubiquitous bánh mì which is our version of a baguette sandwich?  This pastry is made with traditional puff pastry or pâte feuilletée and filled with ground pork, bean thread noodles and mushrooms.  The beauty of this pastry is that you can fill it with whatever you fancy.  For this version, we allowed for the ground pork to shine in its simplicity.  As summer is in full swing, this is a perfect treat to take with you on a picnic or a roadtrip. This recipe makes about 9 pastry squares. Ingredients 1 package of puff pastry 1 lb of ground pork (*Optional: add 2 pieces of chicken liver grounded to mix with the pork.  This is the traditional way of making the meat mixture hence the name patê …

Honeycomb Cake / Bánh Bò Nướng

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One of my favorite childhood treats is this sweet, fragrant and chewy sponge cake called bánh bò nướng.  The cake is made from rice flour, water, sugar, and yeast. It has a honeycomb-like appearance on the inside due to the presence of small air bubbles. This is why it is called a honeycomb cake. Coconut cream is included in the cake batter revealing a slight flavor and aroma of coconut.  It is a very simple recipe but the result lies in the baking technique which we are excited to show you in this post. Ingredients: 14 oz (approximately 1 package) of tapioca starch flour. This equals to 2 cups. 1 can coconut cream – 14 fluid oz 1 stick of unsalted butter and a little extra to coat the pan 2 cups of sugar 2 bags of Alsa baking powder (5 teaspoons of single acting baking powder) 8 eggs 2 bags of vanilla sugar or 2 tablespoons of good vanilla extract 1 tablespoon of pandan flavored paste or syrup (not essence) – preferred brand is …