Danish Pastries

Before you begin to attempt to make danish pastry, i would suggest that you watch this video http://pbs-juliachild.onstreammedia.com/cgi-bin/visearch?user=pbs-juliachild&template=template.html&query=danish+pastries&category=0&ingredients=0&chef=0&project=0&viKeyword=danish+pastries

or vist

http://www.beatrice-ojakangas.com/2004/09/apricot-almond-danish-pastry.htm

Thank you Beatrice for sharing such a lovely pastry and Cafe of the East for a wonderful write-up on danish pastries as usual and sharing step by step pictures.

It was so rewarding to make and i had to share my experience.

Ingredients:

Danish Pastry

This refrigerator pastry needs to chill overnight

3/4 cup milk

1 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 sticks (1/2 pound) cold unsalted butter

egg white for brushing on pastry before sealing

1 beatened egg yolk plus 1 tbsp water for glazing before baking

Powdered sugar icing glaze :

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons hot coffee or water)

Method:

FOR THE PASTRY

In a large bowl, combine the milk, egg, sugar and yeast; stir to dissolve

Measure the flour into the work bowl of a food processor with the steel blade in place.

Add in the salt.

Slice the butter in half, then cut into 1/2 inch slices and add into the flour.

Then using pulse button of the food processor, cut the butter into the flour until it is in pea-sized pieces. This takes about 8 pulses.

Turn into a large bowl.

Pour the liquid mixture over and fold the two mixtures together just until the flour is moistened.

Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Lightly flour a work surface.

Scrape the bottom of bowl to loosen the dough from the bowl and dust lightly with flour the top of dough, then turn dough out onto floured work surface.

Dust the dough lightly with flour and shape the dough into a rough square with your hands.

Roll out to make a square about 16 inches on each side.(Roll from center of dough to the top, center to the bottom and then center to the sides - making a rectangle of 16 inches)

Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter.

Roll lightly to flatten the dough and fold it again into thirds, closing the ends (the dough will now be in a square).

Wrap the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll again into a 16-inch square

Fold into thirds again, business letter style.

Roll out a second time to make a long, narrow rectangle and fold up again in thirds to make a square.

Cut the dough in half and chill again (to work on it later),

or

Roll out to make a square 20 inches x 10 inch.

Cut into eight 5-inch squares from one half.

Place a pastry square on the work surface.

Spoon a tablespoon of the filling onto the center. (apricot almond recipe is at bottom of page)

Brush the uncovered edges with egg white and lift the four corners of the pastry off the counter and seal in the center of the square. Squeeze the corners together to give them a little pinch and a twist to create a small topknot.

Place on a parchment-covered or silpat lined baking sheet.

Pastry can be shaped into Pin wheels/Spandauer. Techniques for folding pastry dough and shaping - See http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/2007/09/danish-pastry.html .

Preheat the oven to 400*F. (375*F. for convection oven).

Let the pastries rise, covered with a kitchen towel for 30 minutes until they look puffy (they will not double).

Brush the pastries with beaten egg white and sprinkle with pearl sugar(if available) or sliced almonds.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Transfer onto a cooling rack and drizzle with powdered sugar icing glaze if desired.

Makes 16 pastries

Apricot-Almond Filling:

1 cup (packed) dried apricots

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 cup toasted, chopped almonds

Stir the apricots, water and sugar together in a large microwave-safe bowl or a 4-quart glass measuring cup.

Put the bowl in a microwave oven and cook at full power for 10 minutes, stirring a few times, until apricots are soft and puffed and have absorbed almost all of the liquid.

Turn the mixture into the work bowl of a food processor with the steel blade in place and process until smooth.

Stir in the lemon juice, almond extract and the almonds.

Cool before using.

Can refrigerate up to 2 weeks .

Serves

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Pumpkin Cookies

Happy Halloween

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookies

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 stick butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Method:

Day one:

• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl.

•In a larger bowl cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Mix in the egg. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk and lemon extract and blend. Cover in wrap and chill overnight.

The next day:

Preheat oven to 400°F .

Cut off a piece of dough and roll out on a floured dry surface.

Add more flour to the dough until no sticking occurs.

Use your favorite cookie cutters than transfer shapes to a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for seven to ten minutes.

Let cookies cool before frosting with glaze icing

Glaze Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
food coloring

Stir confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and water together. Stir in food coloring if desired.

This glaze must be stirred each time you use it.

If it is not stirred before each use it will dry with a mottled look instead of a solid color.

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Ayam/Pork Buah Keluak

I have seen this special 'buah' which means 'fruit' in malay many a time as a cooking ingredient and have always wondered how it will taste as everyone who have tasted it raved about it. After 62 years, i finally had the opportunity to make this curry when my friend, Agnes, who had just came back from Singapore, gave me a dozen. I had to agree that this Buah Keluak or Indonesian Black Nuts undeniably, ambrosia among Nonya dishes is an acquired taste. The taste is indescribable and has to be eaten to be believed

To the uninitiated, buah keluak is a black nut from Indonesia about the size of a misshapen golf ball. The surface is ridged with a smooth nut 'mouth' across the flattest part. A slit is made in this mouth through which one scrapes out the contents which have been variously described as 'opium' and soft tar'. . Good nuts, when cooked, should be richly black and oily.

To prepare Buah Keluak or Indonesian Black Nuts, wash and scrub throughly until the thin film of dried mud they come in is completely gone. A proper and crucial step in cleaning is desired otherwise the gravy will be not be good eats. Soak in a large pot of water over-night or for at least six hours. An even quicker method is to boil the keluak for 15 minutes, which, I'm told by friends, works just as well. Most recipes will suggest that the contents of the nut be dugged out, to be mashed and mix with egg whites for binding. An addition of ground pork/chicken or prawns can also be added and then this mixture is stuffed back into the nut shells. However, really authentic , according to Agnes, Buah Keluak is cooked with the insides of the nuts and are served neat, in all their bitter glory. The resulting curry is literally black, with a slight orangey sheen of oil that you will either love or hate. To me, it was love, thank you Agnes for giving me the chance to experience the buah keluak's glory. I was also told that if not properly prepared for cooking, the nut is toxic and since all my friends who tasted my dish are still around and kicking, i am glad i did not kill anyone.

Ingredients:

30 buah keluak(i had only a dozen that's why my gravy is not black

3 lbs chicken pieces

1 1/4 lb pork ribs - cut into bite size

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

12 ozs garam assam paste (recipe is at bottom of page)

3 ozs tamarind saked in 6 fl ozs water, squeeze an strain

1 - 11/2 tsp salt

32 fl oz water

Method:

Soak nuts in cold water for at least 6 hrs or overnight.

Brush nuts t remove mud and sandy particles.

Crack where nut is smooth.

Marinate chicken pieces with 1 tsp salt and pepper for 1/2 hr.

Heat wok with a tsp of oil and brown chicken pieces.

Remove chicken pieces and add in more oil. Add in the garam assam paste and saute until fragrant.

Add the tamarind juice and bring contents to the boil.

Add in the pork ribs and saute well. When contents come to a boil ,reduce the heat to medium, cook the pork ribs for 1/2 hr covered.

Add the nuts and the browned chicken pieces. Continue to cook for another 1/2 hr, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked and pork ribs are fork tender.

Serve with white rice.

GARAM ASSAM PASTE

A

3 ozs sliced galangal

3 ozs sliced lemon grass

2 -3 ozs candlenut/buah keras

4 ozs shrimp paste/belacan

6 ozs fresh red chillies

12 ozs shallots

1/4 - 1/2 oz tumeric powder

1/4 oz chilly powder or 10 - 16 dried chillies, cut into small pieces, soaked in hot water until soft, drained(add this to A)

6 fl ozs cooking oil for frying

In the food processor, grind A into a fine paste, then add in the rest of the ingredients. Blend well.

If using the blender, put all the ingredients in including the oil and blend to very fine.

Pour blended ingredients into a microwable bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes, stir and continue to cook on high until oil surfaces and paste is fragrant and almost dry.

Paste is ready for cooking but it has to be completely cooled before packing in airtight freezer containers.

Serves

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