Egg Tarts

Assalamualaikum

I am so happy that I got to finish two books in a about a week time. I haven’t done that for a long long time. I miss those days when I can finish a book in a day or two. I should go to the bookstore soon and pick out a couple of books to read before I start looking for a summer job. Can’t wait!

Let’s focus on food now shall we? I LOVE LOVE egg tarts! I mean who doesn’t?! I have no idea how Cantonese or Hong Kong or Taiwanese egg tarts differ. I mean, I found recipes using puff pastries and some used pie dough as base. Hurm..oh well. They are still egg tarts in the end!  

I found an easy recipe here and decided to sell them during the South East Asian night.  As usual, I bought the readymade crusts from Provigo because I would never have the time nor patience to make about 100 tart shells. No!No way.

Egg Tarts

3 eggs

½ cup of caster sugar

1 cup of hot water

1/3 cup of milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk eggs with milk until well incorporated. Set aside.
2. Pour the hot water in a bowl or cup and add sugar. Mix until dissolved.
3. Pour the hot water into the egg mixture little by little. Mix well after each addition.
4. Sift egg mixture to get rid of any foam. Carefully pour egg mixture into each tart shell.
5. Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Position oven  rack in lower third of the oven. Bake tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
6. Lower the heat to 350.Once the custard puffed up a bit, pull the oven door ajar.
7. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the custard is cooked through.
8. Just insert a toothpick into the custard. If it stands on its own, it’s done.

All I have to say is.. adding some whipping cream on top would not hurt anybody. Really.

Wasalam.

Till then, Salut.

Love,

Sofhan Hasni

Matcha Greentea Cupcakes

Assalamualaikum!

I am finally back in Malaysia!=D Europe was amazing, but by the end of the trip,10 days of non-stop walking, sight seeing and getting lost, I am ready to head back home to my family. It had been a year since I last saw them. Ahhh..home sweet home.

In the month of May, I didn’t really have any time to bake anything. Summer course was ridiculously hectic and all of the weekends were filled with picnics, outdoor activities and get-togethers. So there was either no time or no energy left for me to bake anything! Once I’m done with my exams, I FINALLY could put my apron on and start trying out new recipes.

I am A BIG fan of green tea. BIG FAN. Okay I lied. I’m a coffee person and if I have to drink any kind of tea, I’d go for The Tarik or Tea Latte hands down. I don’t really fancy hot green tea but I do love green tea fraps or latte and also ice creams. I bought some Matcha Green Tea Powder recently and experimented with it. I tried making Green Tea Cupcakes and Oh La La! It was amazeballs! I paired the cupcakes with Honey Buttercream Icing. The earthy flavor of the green tea marries the creamy sweet icing perfectly!

Original recipe from Amy's Food Adventures : here

  

Matcha Greentea Cupcakes

Yields 12 

1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of salt

3 tablespoons of  milk

1 tablespoon matcha powder

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/4 cup melted butter at room temperature

4 large egg yolks

4 large egg whites

12 tablespoons sugar (3/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F and line muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk milk, vanilla, and matcha powder together and set aside.
4. Whip egg whites with 6 tablespoon of sugar until they hold a soft peak when beaters are lifted.
5. In a separate bowl, whip egg yolks with remaining 6 tbsp of sugar until doubled in volume and a pale, butter colour.
6. Fold whipped whites into yolk mixture.
7. Fold flour into whipped eggs in two additions. Stir a spoonful of batter into milk mixture then add all back to batter, folding quickly to incorporate.
8.  Fold in the melted butter in two additions.
9.  Pipe or spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, 3/4-full. Gently tap the muffin tin on the counter to even out the batter and to break some of the air pockets.
10.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cupcake springs back when touched. Let cool.

It may be slightly complicated compared to other cupcakes recipe, but trust me, it’s worth it!=D

Have a great summer everyone!

Wasalam.

Till then, Goodnight,

Sofhan Hasni