THB : Fresh Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Upside-down Cake

The Home Bakers (THB) bake #37,  for this week is Fresh Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Upside-down Cake, selected by Alice of I Love.I Cook.I Bake.

I should really call this cake as Canned Pineapple-Macadamia Nut Upside-down Cake, as I've used canned pineapples. I actually bought a whole fresh pineapple, and it wasn't quite ripe yet, so I kept it for a few days, waiting for it to ripen. When the pineapple has gone all yellow and ripe, I was surprised to find it has gone rotten inside, almost half of it. Since I can't use it for my bake, I bought a can of pineapple rings instead.  

Looks can be deceiving! Pretty on the outside, really bad on the inside! (Sounds like I'm describing Snow White's step-mother! LOL!)

The recipe states to use a heavy based ovenproof 9" skillet to heat up the butter, then brown sugar is added in together with corn syrup, stir till the sugar has melted and mixture bubbles. Since I do not have a heavy based skillet, I have used a 9" cake pan instead, and it works out fine. Place the pineapple slices over the mixture and scatter some macadamia nuts in spaces between the pineapple pieces. I have used just a minimum amount of nuts, as the family are not fond of nuts in bakes.

The batter is pretty straight forward. Start with the usual creaming of butter and sugar, then eggs are added in, followed by the vanilla extract, then the flour in two additions with some milk. Spread the batter over the pineapples slices, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove, let cool in pan for 2 minutes, and turn it out onto a plate. May serve either warm or at room temperature.

My notes :
- reduced the brown sugar for the fruit layer to 1/3 cup.
- reduced the granulated sugar for the batter to 1/3 cup.
- omitted the salt, I've used salted butter

I sliced the cake while still warm, smells nice!

I like the pineapples slices.

The cake is very moist with soft crumbs. I'm glad that I've reduced the sugar, as the sweetness is just right. The macadamia nuts are really crunchy! A very nice cake, to enjoy with a cup of tea. 

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For the full recipe and instructions, please visit the host of this bake, Alice of I Love,I Cook.I Bake. To view other members' bake, please visit The Home Bakers (THB).

We are a group of home bakers who are currently baking from "Coffee Cakes" by Lou Seibert Pappas. This is our bake no. 37 and we have 23 recipes more to go. If you are interested to be a member and join in our bakes, you may drop me an email at kitchenflavours@yahoo.com.

And I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up : June 2014 - Butter, organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Jozelyn Ng of Spice Up My Kitchen

Chicken with Garlic and Oyster Sauce

"June Potluck"! It's potluck time at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I've already bookmarked dozens of recipes to try from Nigella Lawson, Yotam Ottolenghi, Madhur Jaffrey, Giada de Laurentiis and the rest of IHCC's previous featured chefs, but find myself cooking from Nigel Slater's recipe this week. 

I made this dish Chicken with Garlic and Oyster Sauce for one of our weeknight dinner, because it is quick and easy, especially with the unbearably hot weather which we are experiencing again, with no rain for the last few weeks, I would not want to stand over a hot stove for hours in a steaming hot kitchen. And stir-fry dishes is the fastest and easiest to cook, perfect to serve with our usual dinner of rice and veggies. 

Chicken with Garlic and Oyster Sauce

I've cooked this dish twice actually, the first time using pork as per Nigel's recipe. The second time, I cooked it with chicken breast fillet, and I prefer the chicken version. I have always marinated chicken breast meat with a little cornflour and a little amount of water, as this will help to tenderize the chicken breast fillet which would tend to be dry and a little tough, especially when served later, at room temperature. 

This stir-fry dish is really easy and takes only minutes to cook. Nigel has used 3 heaped tablespoons of oyster sauce, but I have used only about slightly less than 2 tablespoon. When it comes to oyster sauce in Chinese cooking, more does not always mean tastier, as the sauce is really salty and sometimes too much of it can spoil a dish in terms of taste and flavour. Maybe Nigel has used a brand that is less salty. The amount can easily be adjusted depending on the brand that is used.

The recipe states to chop two of the small, red-hot chillies, leaving the other two whole. I have left them all whole, as I'm afraid that it might be too spicy for my kids if I chopped up the red chillies, so the 4 whole-red hot chillies are really for myself. And it was spicy good when I break it up with some of the gravy and eat it with rice! :)

I've used fresh shiitake mushrooms and more than the recipe calls for, about 400gm as the mushrooms tend to shrink in size when cooked, as their delicious juices would be released into the gravy as it cooks. And I've added in about 1/4 cup of water for more gravy to eat with rice.

A nice dish to serve with plain white rice, makes an easy and quick stir-fry dish on busy weeknights.

Pork with Garlic and Oyster Sauce
(adapted from "The Kitchen Diaries II, Nigel Slater")
5 tablespoons at least, flavourless oil
350gm cube pork shoulder or fillet (I've used chicken breast fillet, refer my notes below)
3-4 cloves garlic
2 shallots
4 small, red hot chillies
150gm mushrooms (shiitake, chestnut, or whatever)
3 heaped tablespoons oyster sauce (adjusted to taste, about less than 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

Heat the wok. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When it starts to smoke, add half the meat and let it colour, removing it as it turns golden at the edges. Repeat with the second batch of meat, using a little fresh oil if you have to.

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic and peel and slice the shallots. Finely chop, but do not seed, two of the chillies. Leave a couple whole to add a deeper, subtler flavour. Get the wok hot, pour in the remaining oil and let it start to smoke, then add the chopped garlic, shallots and chillies, stirring as they cook. Fry them for a minute or two till they start to colour. Add the mushrooms, whole or torn up if they are large. Continue stir-frying till they are soft and lightly coloured, then return the meat to the pan. Once the meat is thoroughly hot, stir in the oyster sauce and the wine and bring to the boil. Let the resulting sauce reduce for a minute, maybe two, then serve.

My notes :

The second time I cooked this dish, I've used chicken breast meat. Sliced the chicken breast fillet and marinate with 1 tablespoon of cornflour and 1 tablespoon water. Stir till meat is thoroughly coated with the cornflour. Set aside for 10 minutes and then proceed with the frying as per the recipe above. By adding a little cornflour to the chicken breast fillet, it helps to tenderize the meat during cooking and keeping it moist, as chicken breast meat tend to dry out and gets stringy especially if cooked for a long time. 

I have used slightly less than 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, as 3 tablespoons is a little too much and salty for my taste. I mixed the oyster sauce and the wine with an addition of 1/4 cup water, as I wanted more sauce to eat with rice.

This post is linked to "June Potluck" at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC)

and Cook-Your-Books #13 @ kitchen flavours

Ham Cheesy Patties : The Picnic Game

I am "going" on a picnic and I'm bringing Ham Cheesy Patties that begins with the letter H. For those of you who are familiar with Louise, the lovely lady from Months of Edible Celebrations, would know about this on-line picnic called, The Picnic Game, that Louise is hosting each June, with the final round-up on 1st July. If you are new to The Picnic Game, hop on over to Louise's for more details.

June 18th is International Picnic Day and Louise has invited us for a picnic game from 18th to 28th June. And I'm "going" on a picnic with Louise and all the lovely ladies who has joined in the fun.  This is the third year that I'm joining in The Picnic Game.  The game is played by selecting a letter and you are supposed to make some food beginning from your chosen letter, to the picnic. The chosen letter will be confirmed and assigned to each person by Louise, like in my case, I chose the letter H, and it is for Ham Cheesy Patties. And that's not all, each of us must list what the other persons before your letter, are bringing! It is a fun on-line picnic game!

The Picnic Game 2014 organized by Louise of Months of Edible Celebration

I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing ............

A - Angel Food Cake

B - Basil Leaves In Caramelized Prawns

C - Chicken Piccata

D - Darned Easy Potato Salad

E - Eccles Cakes Filled With Leeks, Spinach and Blue Cheese

F - Fourth of July Picnic S'more Tarts

G - Gluten-Free and Eggless Chocolate Steamed Cake

H - Ham Cheesy Patties
I -  Italian Frittata with Vegetables
J -  Jelly Roll
K - Kahlua Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Cake
L -  Lemon Lavender Cakes
M - Meringue Roulade with Raspberries 
N - Nutella Rice Pudding
O - Old-Time Favorite Iced Red Bean Popsicles
P - Pickles
Q - Quinoa Blueberry Mango Salad
R - Raspberry and Fig Cobbler
S - Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
T - Two Ingredient Ice Cream Bread
U - Uninvited Smash Potaotes
V - Vegan Mango Salsa
W - Watermelon Salad
X - Xmas Coconut Wreath Cake
Y - Yellow Squash Crustless Quiche
Z - Zucchini Cake-Double Chocolate

(I will update as we go along into The Picnic Game)

Here it is, Ham Cheesy Patties

I'm bringing this plate of Ham Cheesy Patties to the picnic, don't worry, there's lots more in the picnic basket!  :)

Let's take a quick look at how these patties are made.

Firstly, make the shortcrust pastry (refer to the recipe below). Roll out the pastry dough and cut out rounds and place the rounds in greased tart moulds, trimming the edges to fit mould. 

For the filling : Alex Goh has given the option to include some meat, and I have used chopped ham. The sliced onions are suateed until soft, then the ham are added in, stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Dish out to a plate and set aside to cool. Place some of the onion-ham mixture into each of the pastry cases, sprinkle some chopped spring onions and pour over the custard to almost full. I sprinkled more black pepper over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 25 minutes until custard is puffy and golden brown. 

For the custard : Whipping cream and milk are heated up until hot, stir in grated Cheddar cheese until cheese melts. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk in the lightly beaten eggs, whisking the mixture briskly while pouring in the egg to avoid curdling. Whisk until mixture is smooth, add in some salt and black pepper to taste.

Let patties cool in their tart cases to slightly warm. The custard filling will settle down as they cool. This single recipe yields 16 patties.

 Serve them slightly warm, they are so darn good! Delicious!  The pastry is really very buttery, and crispy-tender when eaten warm. And the filling is so tasty! 

These patties are really mini quiches. Though I would suggest eating these patties while still warm, they are really good too, when eaten at room temperature. Perfect to bring for a picnic or a get-together.

We had this for breakfast the next morning, simply reheat them in their tart moulds at 180C for 10 minutes and they are just as delicious!

Ham Cheesy Patties
(adapted from "Irresistible Pastry", Alex Goh)
1 portion shortcrust pastry (refer below)
150gm onions, sliced
4 slices ham, chopped (my addition)
3 tbsps oil
2 sprigs spring onion, chopped (I've used about 4-5 sprigs)
150gm milk
150gm whipping cream
100gm grated Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
some salt
some black pepper
some ground cinnamon (omit this)

For the pastry tart :

Roll out the pastry dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (or place on a lightly floured work surface with a plastic wrap over the top) to 3mm thickness. Cut it out with 4-inch round cutter. Line the greased tart moulds with the cut-out pastry, pressing against the base and sides of the mould, and trimming off any excess at the rim of moulds.

For the filling :

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the sliced onions and fry until brown and soft, about 8 minutes. Add in the chopped ham and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the custard :

Mix milk and whipping cream in a small pot, over a medium heat until mixture is just hot. Add in grated Cheddar cheese and stir until cheese melts. Remove pot from heat and gradually add in the lightly beaten egg stirring the milk-cheese mixture briskly, so as not to curdle the eggs. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Add some salt, black pepper and ground cinnamon to taste (taking into account that the cheese might be salty).

To assemble the tart :

Divide the onion-ham filling equally among the tart moulds. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions over each tart. Pour the custard over until almost full. (I sprinkled some black pepper over each tart before baking).

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Custard will puff up during baking and it will settle down upon cooling.

Shortcrust Pastry 
250gm flour
150gm butter
pinch of salt (omit this as I've used salted butter)
60-80gm water (I used about 1-3/4 tbsps iced cold water)

Cut the butter into small pieces and mix it with the flour till crumbly. Add in salt and then water (adding 1 tablespoon at a time, I used only about 1-3/4 tbsps, using iced-cold water). Mix to form a dough. Shape into a ball, press it into a flat disk, wrap with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for 30 minutes.

Use as directed above.

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I'm also sharing this post with :

• "My Treasured Recipes - Alex Goh (Jun/July 2014)" hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House.
• Little Thumbs Up : June 2014 - Butter, organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Jozelyn Ng of Spice Up My Kitchen
• and Cook-Your-Books #13 @ kitchen flavours