Day 1 - Reno, Nevada
At our hotel, there is this Mel’s Drive In(its originated from here, in SanFran, u will see much mre branches of this restaurant). If you’re a fan of the movie ‘American Graffiti’, it is littered with memorabilia from the movie and the stars like a virtual museum. Open 24 hours, every day.
Reno, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World",
cny here is abit bore, i guess so nt much chinese in this state to reali get into the festival mood. I miss singapore, my family n friends.
pineapple tarts(my love, all time fav specially during cny). it has a homely aroma, i like the mouth melting milky crust best!! so now here is my first-hand long overdue attempt in making my own pineapple tarts.
recipe
To make the jam, you can either use canned pineapples /fresh ones. Of course fresh pineapples taste better. As for tarts can be made in many shapes, since i dun have a pastry cutter on hand, i just chose to make a simpler easier verison of it.
Pastry:
500g flour, l/2tsp salt
250g butter /margarine
2 tbsp caster sugar /icing sugar
2 egg yolks, 1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbs cold water
Jam:
2 medium sized grated pineapple(use a food processor).
350g sugar, 1 tsp salt
1 large cinnamon stick and 1 star anise
Method:
To make jam:
Grate /process the pineapples finely, drain the liquid using a sieve. The juice can be added with a little sugar n ice cubes for a refreshing pineapple drink.
Mix the pulp with a little bit of salt, sugar and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan.
Simmer slowly until thicken, stir frequently to avoid burning. Jam is ready when the mixture is bubbling in the saucepan. ensure the jam is nt too thick cos it will be difficult to place thick jam on the tart later.
To make pastry:
Sieve flour, salt n sugar into a mixing bowl. Rub in margarine /butter n add cold egg yolks, vanilla essence to form a dough. Add 2-3 tbsp of cold water to bind the pastry to a ball.
Keep the pastry to sit for about half an hour in fridge.
Roll pastry into the shapes u want. To avoid the dough from sticking to the mat /cutter, use a little flour to coat the cutter. the rolling pin and the rolling sheet. However, not too much because it will offset the dough flour-fat composition that your pastry would become tough instead of crumbly and melt in the mouth. You may brush the surface of the tart with egg yolk if you wish.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC for 10-15 mins /till lightly brown.
my first attempt failed, turn out the taste soso. so my supporter hubby is goin to finish it up, n i was so disappointed n lazy to make another attempt, totally give up.
next im doin curry puff/ tuna puffs (hope it succeeds).
Ingredients;
* 1 sht frozen puff pastry, thawed * 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar * 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
* Pinch of salt * 3 tbsp heavy cream
* 4 bananas peeled and sliced
Directions;
Heat oven to 400F. Roll pastry n cut out four squares. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan; bake abt 15mins, til golden. Remove from oven; set aside to cool. Place butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until butter and sugar are melted and combined abt 5mins. Stir in cream until mixture is smooth. Add bananas; gently stir until coated. Remove from heat.
Using a knife, remove a 2-inch square frm top center of pillows; keep bottom intact. Fill with banana mixture. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and garnish with chocolate shavings(optional). Serve.
Ingredients; 1/2 package Puff Pastry Sheets(1 sht), 1 egg, 1 tbsp water, 2 tbsp rasberry jam
2 squares (1 oz. each) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Directions; THAW pastry sheet at room temp 30min. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix egg and water. UNFOLD pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll into 14x10" rectangle. Spread with jam. Cut pastry in half lengthwise. Sprinkle one half with chocolate. Place remaining rectangle over chocolate-topped rectangle, jam-side down. Roll gently with rolling pin to seal.
CUT crosswise into 28 (1/2") strips. Twist strips and place 2" apart on greased baking sheet, pressing down ends. Brush with egg mixture. BAKE 10min. /til golden. Makes 28 twists.
u can make it w cheese n sprinkle w sugar too.
Apricot Pinwheels(make16)
Ingredients; 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 package Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed ,1 cup apricot preserves
Directions; Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 squares. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
Spoon 1 tbsp apricot preserves in the center of each square. Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal lines from the corners of the pastry to within 3/4-inch of the preserves. Fold every other corner up over the preserves to the center, overlapping the points and pinching to seal. Place the pastries onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture.
Bake for 20min /til golden brown. Remove n cool for 10mins.
p.s. these puff pastry sht does wonders, so u can do anything w yr creavity even making a mac apple pie or any other fillings.
i see a batch of ppl goin back hm, my mind is thinking; "when is mine?"
im anxious, excited, filled with all sorts of feelings. the next time will bw my turn, i got so many things to pack, bring back hm, foodstuffs to finish n stuffs to sell n get rid of. wow... so many things to do...
reali no mood in packing... where to start???!!!!
