Kenny Rogers' Corn Muffins

Thanks to the recent popular 7-link tag game, and i got to know this Kenny Roger's Corn muffins at Kitchen Flavours's blog as this muffin is her most popular post.

I'm glad that I can use the cornmeal for this recipe which already sitting in the fridge for quite some time. I replaced the frozen yellow corns with fresh corn kernels but this was not an good idea, the corn turned quite hard after baked.

Kenny Rogers' Corn Muffins
Recipe souce: adapted from Kitchen Flavours, original from recipe.goldmine.com, with minor changes

Ingredients :
125g butter, softened
80g caster sugar
1/4 cup honey ( reduce about 1 tablespoon from the 1/4 cup)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I changed to double action baking powder)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen yellow corn ( I use fresh corn kernels)

Method
1. Cream together butter, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl till light and creamy.
2. Add honey and egg, combine well.
3. Add flour, cornmeal and baking powder and blend thoroughly.
4. Add milk while mixing.
5. Last add corn to the mixture and combine until corn is worked in.
6. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan and fill each cup with batter.
7. Bake at pre-heated oven at 180c for 25min.

Lotus Pancake 莲蓉窝饼

I use the leftover lotus paste from the mooncake making to make this Lotus pancake. This lotus pancake is usually serve at the end of a Chinese wedding dinner, a symbol of sweet ending.

Roll the lotus paste into rectangular

wrap into pastry

deep fry in oil

The outer layer is very crispy but i have to improve the rolling skill. I need to roll thinner next time as you can see the middle part of the pancake is quite thick

Lotus pancake
Recipe source: adapted from Flavours food magazine

Water dough

75g plain flour, sifted
10g custard powder, sifted
20g cold butter, diced
36ml water

Oil dough
50g plain flour
25g shortening
A pinch of salt

100g lotus paste
Oil for deep frying

To prepare water dough
1. Combine plain flour and custard powder, mixing well.
2. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add water and combine to form a soft dough
4. Cover with cling wrap and rest for 10mins in the refrigerator.

To prepare oil dough
1. Combine flour and shortening to form a soft dough.

To assemble
1. Place lotus paste in two plastic sheets.
2. With a rolling pin, flatten the paste into 8x20cm rectangle.
3. Chill in the refrigerator for easier handling.
4. Flatten water dough and wrap it around oil dough.
5. Cover and rest for 10mins.
6. Flatten dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a long rectangular shape. Roll it up like a Swiss roll.
7. Flatten the dough again into a rectangular and roll up again.
8. Cover and rest for 10mins in the refrigerator.
9. Roll the dough into rectangle 20x22cm.
10. Place the lotus paste on one side of the dough, leaving about 1cm around the edge.
11. Fold the pastry to cover the lotus paste and seal by pressing along the edges.
12. Deep fry in a frying pan until golden brown and crisp over low flame, turning over once.
13. Drain on paper towels and slice to serve.

Yuyuan Garden 豫園, Shanghai China

Before I go to Shanghai China, i have no idea where to visit and places to eat. I tried to search in my blogger list, it seem not many bloggers visit to Shanghai except Terri and later she gave me her daughter Yi contact no. Thanks to Yi recommended me Yuyuan garden, a place must visit if you happen visit to Shanghai. Actually the hotel that i stayed is very near to this garden, less than 5mins by walk.

I took many photos as every corner in this garden are so beautiful, let me share just few of these photos because there are too many..

Yuyuan Garden is right located at the center of Shanghai, this picture just truly reflect its location.

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncake 上海月饼（芝士香）

This will be my last batch of mooncakes for this year, adapted from the famous recipe 鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝. This year I really rajin (hardworking) and crazy making mooncakes, personnaly i did not eat much of mooncakes, most of it are giving out to relatives..Traditional mooncakes and Flaky swirl yam mooncake were my 1st time trying except snowskin mooncakes. With this new Shanghai mooncakes, this year i have done three type of most popular mooncakes.











The dough is very easy to handle actually, very similar to Traditional mooncakes. Just flatten the dough using your palm, slowly push the dough to cover the whole lotus paste.

Shape it like egg !

Two shapes i made- Egg shape is with lotus paste filling, round shape is added egg yolk

I highly recommend you to try out this recipe, very good indeed, buttery, creamy, cheesy and melt-in-mouth skin!! very difficult to describe the taste actually, one word " Tasty "! if say in Chinese, then i would say 咸香!

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncake 上海月饼（芝士香）
*makes 8pcs

120g Planta margarine
40g caster sugar
1 and 1/2tbsp evaporated milk
2tbsp Parmesan cheese powder
1tbsp corn flour
180g cake flour

245g Lotus paste (low sugar)
Some melon seeds
-combine together and roll to ball weighted 45 each

Egg wash-1 egg yolk+1tbsp water+1tbsp milk

Method
1. Beat margarine, sugar and milk till creamy.
2. Add in cheese powder, corn flour and cake flour, combine to form a soft dough.
3. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30mins.
4. Take dough out from fridge and knead dough to smooth. Divide dough into 8 round balls weighted 45g.
5. Flatten dough with your palm and wrap up the lotus paste filling into it and shaping it like an egg shape then place on baking tray.
6. Bake at pre-heated oven at 180c for 10mins.
7. Remove from oven and leave it slight cool then lightly brush the surface with egg wash and decorate top with melon seeds or cheese powder or poppy seeds.
8. Continue bake at pre-heated oven at 180c for 20mins.
9. Leave to cool and store in air-tight container.

• If add one egg yolk, reduce lotus paste to 35g each

This traditional mooncake was made using my new dragon imprint wooden mould that i just bought yesterday, can you spot the drogon head?

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking

I would like to take this opportunity to wishing all a Happy Mid-Autumn festival !! 
 

Flaky Swirl Yam Mooncake 芋頭酥

Mooncake again? yes, i think this week you have to bare with me, I need to finish post the mooncake before this festival end on this Sunday. When i saw Terri recommended this good swirl taro mooncake, immediately i start to look for good taro like Pinang taro to make this mooncake but unfortunately i couldn't find in few wet markets. I ended bought taro from Thailand, actually the taste is not bad and it has the fluffly (sang in Hokkein) texture.

I adapted the dough recipe from Carol which i saw in Jane's blog earlier. Eggplant also adapted the same recipe and her one look very nice too. Carol's recipe is quite simple to handle.

The rolling process..

I did not adapted the yam filling from Carol, instead i made my own filling which is similar to Teochew style of yam paste.

Flaky Swirl Yam Mooncake
*makes 12 pcs

Water dough
200g all purpose flour
15g icing sugar
70g shortening
90g cold water

Method
- Sift flour and icing sugar.
- Rub in shortening.
- Slowly add cold water and combine to form a soft dough
- Cover and rest for 45mins

Oil dough
160g all purpose flour
80g shortening
1/2tsp yam paste
A drop of purple coloring

Method
- Combine all ingredients together to form a soft dough.
- Cover and rest for 30mins

Yam filling
500g yam
100g sugar
4tbsp flour (add more if dough too wet)
2tbsp shallot oil (deep fried 5 shallots with oil, discard fried shallots)
a pinch of salt
Method
- Cut yam into small pieces and steam over high heat for 30mins or till cooked.
- Mash it with a fork while still hot.
- Mix in shallot oil, sugar, salt and flour to form a soft dough.
- Cover and chill before used.

Egg yolks, optional ( brush with rice wine and steamed for 10mins)

To make flaky swirl yam mooncake

1. Divide water dough 60g and oil dough 40g into 6 portions accordingly and shape into ball.
2. Weight yam filling into 30g each for 12 portions.
3. Flatten water dough and wrap oil dough inside. Repeat till finished.
4. Roll out into long shape and roll up like swiss roll. Rest for 10mins.
5. Roll from the shorter side into long shape and roll up like swiss roll from shorter side. Rest for another 20mins.
6. Cut the dough into 2 portions and repeat the rest of the dough until get 12 portions together.
7. Flatten the dough start from the swirl side and roll out into a round shape.
8. Flip over and wrap in yam filling, egg yolks (optional) and seal it tightly, seal edge facing downwards.
9. Place on baking tray and bake in preheated oven 170C for 25 mins.
10. Cool well before cutting.

Ready pack to be given out to my sisters. My sister prefer this yam mooncake as she said the yam filling is not that sweet if compare to lotus paste. She is true, because I can control the sweetness since i made yam filling from scratch.

I added some with egg yolk..nice one..

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking