Vietnamese Coffee Canelé

These little treats will change your life...seriously!  I first heard of these three years ago from a coworker.  Sara who used to make these when she worked in San Francisco.  Her rave about canelés sent me on a quest.  After doing some research I found a bakery in Seattle that made them and decided to give it a try.

Bánh Tai Yến - Swallow's Nest Cakes

This is a very simple cake from the Mekong Delta.  Not just popular in southern Vietnam but also in Cambodia.  They're named for their resemblance to a swallow's nest (a.k.a. tổ yến).   A traditional recipe would likely call for cơm rượu for leavening.   As with bánh bò, a well made bánh tai yến should have rễ tre (the "honeycomb" texture"). 

Vege Nori wraps.

What's for good snack ? Veges nori wraps, ingredients at your choice. For this recipe, i have used 'omelette' and carrots. 200 g of rice - wash and drained. Add in 400 ml of water. 1.5 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 tsp of sugar. Mix together and put to cook in the rice cooker. When ready, using a folk to loosen the rice and leave it to cool. Prepare the other ingredients. 

Vegan Courgette Gratin

What is Gratin? 

In French, the word gratin originally referred to the tasty crust left behind in a pan after baking, which was scraped off and eaten as a bonus for the chef.

A gratin is usually topped with grated sharp cheese and/or breadcrumbs. Adding just cream will also produce a lightly browned crust if baked in high heat. Technically, macaroni and cheese is a gratin, in that a protective crust form while it bakes, giving it a lightly browned and crunchy topcoat, while keeping the rest of the dish moist. Gratins are served straight from the dish.

La Tarte Aux Pommes

Finally done with this french pâtisserie..filled with great satisfaction ! and is not difficult except it takes abit of time to laid the apple slices. 

Ingredients

Dough - 300 g Plain flour, 100 g butter (room temperature) and some water. 

5 golden apples - peeled, deseed and slice them into thin wedges about 0.2 cm

a Tarte mould of about 30 cm

some cinnamon powder

80 g sugar 

apple puree

Orange-Almond Muffins

My new inspiration onto muffins again. This time is Orange-Almond flavoured, using freshly squeezed orange and topped with some almond flakes. 

Ingredients 

(make 12 muffins for this recipe)

100 g melted butter

160 g sugar

4 tbsp orange zest (not the white bitter part)

250 g Self raising flour

250 ml fresh squeezed orange juice

some almond flakes (optional)

La soupe de l'artichaut

The soup is sweet and light. You need not need much seasoning infact. In this recipe, i added some shredded chinese mushrooms and goji berries. Put the ingredients to boil, or till the vegetables is soft. Off fire and let it to simmer. 

How to eat? If you are eating this vegetable for the first time, tear off each 'petal' of the vegetable and eat the flesh from the underside. The heart of artichaut is most tender. Enjoy.