Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata)

I love custard. I love love love custard! It's my favourite dessert. I love it warm drizzled over apple pie, cold over fresh fruit and I love it in tarts. There is this little food shop at Market Square(?) at Sunnybank. It's located in a Chinese (High Fresh) supermarket underneath Little Taipei (geez what happened to that place?) and this little shop sells these delicious baked or steamed dumplings and these yummy puff pastry egg tarts! I remember how my partner and I would travel 30 minutes out just get half a dozen or even a dozen of these tarts along with other little dumpling things. What I love most about this little shop is that you can tell the owner loves his job! Much passion and love goes into what he makes and I guess that is why a lot of customers come back for more and moree! I have no idea if that shop still exists there anymore.

fresh from the oven :)

I googled "pastry puff egg tarts" and Portuguese Custard Tarts came up. I guess this was the tart recipe I was after. The pictures looked like the tarts that I was eating before so I pretty much used this recipe from this site by Arianne Spratt. Okay so you didn't have to use loads of eggs so that's a plus for me since I hate using so much yolks from the eggs and I don't know what to cook with the egg whites! And this recipe compared to other egg tart recipes I looked at contained water. I gave the recipe a try and it turned out pretty good! The colour of the custard wasn't really really yellow because of the minimal amount of egg yolks and it wasn't runny at all. When I ate into the tart ....oozes of custard exploded into my mouth and the crunchy pastry was really really really gooooddd. Overall, this recipe was easy to follow and pretty easy to make. Ohhh and it wasn't just right...not too sweet!

Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata)
adapted by Arianne Spratt from ten.com.au

Serves 6 or one lol
Makes 12 custard tarts

Ingredients

• 200g puff pastry sheets (I used 2 sheets pin rolled out - save the dough don't throw away :) )
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200c.
Cut pastry into 10cm rounds with a round cutter and push gently into 12 muffin pans. Prick bases all over with a fork. Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes or until the mixture is slightly syrupy.
Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little of the milk. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. Add remaining milk, vanilla and the sugar syrup.

water, cornflour til smooth then add the egg yolks
Return to the pan and stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens. Cool.

spoon cool mixture
Spoon the mixture evenly into the pastry cases and bake for about 20 minutes or until the custard is slightly browned.
Cool and serve. (cool and serve!! i bit into when i took it out lol I couldn't wait hey? LOL)

Notes: This is my (Arianne's) version of the yummy tarts that originate in Portugal. Note that they are supposed to be quite caramelised on the top – they aren’t burnt!!

my baked Portuguese custard tart straight from the oven!

Pork Broth with Soft Rice Noodles

*adapted from Luke Nguyen's Vietnam's Hieu tieu suong heo recipe

Hey guys! How was your weekend? Mine was so busy :). I feel like such a house wife these days lol. My dream hehe.

I watched Luke Nguyen's Vietnam instead of the re-run of Glee last Thursday night. One recipe that really got me watching was his "Hieu tieu Suong Heo" which is just Pork Rib Broth with Soft Noodles. Sounds bland but it's so so so yummy. I know it was really hot on the weekend but I made it anyway. All ingredients you can get at any Asian Markets ...my favourite is Inala lol and then my second favourite are Sunnybank asian grocers.

I did not use pork ribs and the squid (cause i know it will stink the house lols) instead I just used pork bones (with the marrow mmmm) and pork shins.

Yum yum yum

Pork Broth with Soft Rice Noodles
serves around 6

You will need:

Broth

• 5 liters of water
• 1 kg pork bones with marrows and some not
• 1/2 kg of pork shin (chop in large chunks)
• 2 tbs salt
• 4 tbs sugar
• 6 tbs fish sauce (or more if you like salty)
• 2 tbs whole black pepper
• 1 tbs finely diced garlic (in this case I used 6 cloves minced)
• 1/2 red onion chopped

Noodles

• 2kg soft fresh noodles

Condiments

• garlic chives
• mint
• bean sprouts
  
• shallots
• fried onions
• lemon or lime
  
• chilli and fish sauce (as the main sauce)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl incorporate pork bones, pork shins (cut into large chunks), 1tbs salt, 2 tbs sugar, 3 tbs fish sauce, chopped red onions, minced garlic. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Or you can marinate over night for a deeper flavour.

Next in a large stock pot, add the marinated pork mix, pepper and then add in the 5L of water.

Bring the pot to boil, skin off impurities for 10 minutes and so. Keep an eye on it until the broth is clear. Reduce heat to low simmer and place on lid. Cook for 2 hours. Still keep an eye on it for anymore impurities that come to surface. Add the remaining fish sauce, salt and sugar. And importantly, taste if the broth is salty enough for you. For me, I did not add anymore salt/fish sauce cause it was already nice and salty for me. Depending on your tongue hey lol.

In another large stock pot, bring to boil water and blanch each portion of noodles for 10 secs and drain.

Take out pieces of the shin meat and cut in bit sized pieces and then add to each bowl and then cover with the hot pork broth.

Then to each bowl add bean sprouts, chives, mint, fried onion, chilli and squeeze lime or lemon on top. Make fish sauce and chilli for dipping the meat.

If the stock is bland still I recommend you to add chili fish sauce into it or just ad a bit of hoi sin into it. Sounds like pho now lol. I like the blandness....it's more healthy that way I guess lols.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls / Scrolls

I finally made cinnamon rolls or scrolls whatever you call them. I was suppose to make these last week but I was so busy with so much things! Anyway this cinnamon scroll was so delicious, moist and sweet I wanted to eat more but after eating the first roll I was so full I couldn't force anymore into my mouth lol.

This recipe does not require over night proving or even an hour proving. It takes only 30 minutes to prove but since I was in la la land at the time when I left my dough to "double in size" I think it double halfed? lol. And for this recipe you don't need a tray to roll it out and all the other time consuming bits. I am lazy I like things to be made quickly. I used muffin cake tins too for these cause I hate the mess when it's all in one pan. It's all nice and individual and was easy to come out of the muffin holes. They look like muffins but who cares it tasted good :). The rolls smelt so nice coming from the oven and it was lovely with cream cheese frosting on top. You don't have to do this but it's just an extra bit of something :). I deserved it lol.

before going into the oven. yeah ugly but who caresss lols

Here is the recipe as follows. It will take approximately 2 hours including the proving time.

EASY CINNAMON ROLLS / SCROLLS
Makes 12

You will need:

For the rolls

• 1/4 (55g) unsalted butter room temperature and softened
• 3/4 cups of milk
• 3 1/4 cups plain flour sifted
  
• 7g (pkt) instant yeast
• 1/4 white sugar
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup of brown sugar packed
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 tbs ground or crushed cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (115g) of butter softened at room temperature

- Optional extras: raisins, walnuts, canned apple, canned apricot in halves

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup of cream cheese (the cold one in the cheese aisle)
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/3 to 1/2 vanilla extract (a drop)
• 1/8 tsp of salt
  

Instructions

In a small saucepan heat milk until you see bubbles. Immediately remove from heat and add the butter into it slowly stirring until all the butter is melted. Leave it to cool.

In a large mixing bowl add only 2 and 1/4 cups of the sifted flour, yeast sugar and salt and mix well. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add water, egg and the cool butter/milk mixture into the bowl. Work it with a spatula. Then add the remaining sifted flour 1/2 cup at a time working it with spatula. Work it with the spatula until you see a dough form into a soft doughy ball. Turn the ball onto a lightly covered floured surface and knead until smooth. The consistency you are going for should not be too sticky and not too firm either.

Leave the ball in a big bowl with a moist towel over it and prove it for about 30 minutes. It should rise and double in size. Then after 30 minutes take the ball out of the bowl and punch air out of it and let it rise again for another say 10 minutes. In that 10mintues, in a small bowl combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon.

When the dough is ready, roll out the dough on a floured surface. Get it in a nice rectangle shape (12 (30cms) x 9 (12cms) inch). Does not have to be perfect. Now spread the dough with the butter, sugar and cinnamon mixture. I did not use all of the mixture. It was a bit too much. You can add raisins, walnuts or apple at this stage. Then carefully roll up dough slowly and cut the roll up into about an inch to an inch and half thick or 12 equal sizes.

Now place the cut side up in greased muffin cups. Cover and let it rise for another 30 minutes. Prehead oven at 190 degrees. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from muffin cups to cool.

out of the oven. smells divine. i am in heaven lol. Looks dry but it is nottt :P. It has this nice crispy (or crunchy) texture. Divineee divinneee

I recommend to store it in a air tight container up to 2 days. If more it will go hard! When you want to eat it pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds only! YUMMM....out it comes warm and chewyyY!

EXTRA FATTYNESS::: For the cream cheese frosting:
Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Then add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Now spread the frosting on warm rolls before serving. YUMM!

topped with cream cheese frosting. yummm. the sweet bread wasn't too dry or doughy...just right!

I tried to give half of these to my neighbours but they weren't at home. Too bad now lol

I recommend this recipe to anyone that wants something warm and sweet. I am not a very good baker but this time round I got it right!! The roll tasted like it was from a bakery! lols. *tear drop*

Vegetarian Patties / Cakes

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated for so long. We had a huge storm here and it cut out the telephone line and so I was net free for about 3 to 4 days! It was the most stressful days of my life lol. No jokes hahaha.

Anyway, I like to share a simple recipe to you without the meat and fat! I made these "vegetarian patties" on a Friday afternoon. I wanted something healthy, fresh and crunchy and something with flavour and I came up with this without the meat :P. I didn't use exact ingredients. Thought when I tried to form the mixture into patties it kind of crumbled a bit. I found that when I fried them in the pan it holds shape anyway and it was nice and crunchy.

For about 8 small Vegetarian Patties you will need:

• 1 medium sized potato washed and peeled
  
• 2 medium carrots washed and peeled
  
• 1 zucchini washed and peeled
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of cumin and some paprika
  
• 1 egg
• 1 to 2 cups of bread crumbs
• olive oil

Method

1. Firstly wash all your vegetables and grate them into a large mixing bowl.
2. Then squeezed out excess liquid from the vegetables. Squeeze as much as possible to prevent it from being too wet and hard to form patty shapes.
3. Then season with salt, pepper and paprika and cumin. Taste accordingly.
4. Add the egg and mix through the mixture. This will help stick the veges together and make it easy to form the patties.
5. In a fry pan add the oil and wait til it heats. Sprinkle bread crumbs over a large plate for coating the patties.
6. Form the mixture into small shaped round patties and coat generously though the bread crumbs
7. Lay the patties into the fry pan and fry each side until golden brown
8. Repeat process until mixture is all used up
9. You can cut them into quarters and serve them with salad
10. Enjoy :)