Nectarines / Peach Tart 香橙蜜桃塔

Summer time is all about peaches, nectarines, some are sweet,and tender, some are crunchy with nice acidity.  I like the sweet one for cooking, I will make sweet and salty or sweet and spicy dishes.  Crunch with acidity one are great in baking which takes heat well and balance with sweetness.

This nectarines tart has lightly crumble shell. nature heady perfume, acidity from itself, sweet custard with orange cognac.  I love it dearly. Serve with a cup of sweet ice tea or scoop a vanilla ice cream during the hot summer day ! It's a great refreshing sweet treat !


        

 

Preparation time : 30 minutes for sliced nectarines, make tart shell, and arrange it !  Add 5 minutes to make the custard.

Baking time: 45minutes to 50 minutes.

Serve: 6-8 people
                                                                                                                  

Ingredients :

Tart dough:

1.  1/4 cup powder sugar.

2.  11/2 cup cake flour.

3. 6 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature. 

4. 2 egg yolks.

5.  Zest from 1 lemon.

Filling:

1.  4 peaches or nectarines seeded, sliced very thin rinse in the salty water, drained well.

Custard:

1.  3 tablespoon unsalted butter.

2.  1/4 cup sugar.

3.   1 large egg.

4.  2 tablespoon corn starch.

5.  1 tablespoon orange Cognac or brandy.

6.  Juiced from I lemon.

Finish top Coat:

I tablespoon orange marmalade heated in the microwave then mix with 1 tablespoon Orange Cognac or Brandy.

Tart dough

Place all the tart shell ingredients, cake flour, powder sugar, butter,  egg york and lemon zest in the food processor, pulse it couple times, till it is starting to look like wet sand.  When you squeeze them, it will hold together by itself, then stop.

Dump the whole mixture dough into the tart pan, use measuring cup to press it down and make the rim, as easy as that.

Cool the tart shell in the freezer at least 30 minutes.  *. I usually like to make tart dough in advance, so you can bake it anytime when you are ready for the filling.

Filling 

Arrange the peach or nectar from outer layer to the center unevenly, finish with a rose look. * Try to do this step fast to avoid tart shell heat up in the room temperature, keep the dough chill, so the tart shell won't get burn before the filling set during the baking.

Set the rack at the lowest level in the oven, almost attach the bottom.

Preheat oven 350F .

Melting butter with sugar on the stove or microwave, kill the heat, add in lemon juice and Orange Cognac or Brandy.

Use other bowl to mix egg and corn starch well, then add in to the butter mixture. Do not over mixing ! 

Dump this butter mixture on to tart pan, swirl around for even coated.  Tap the pan a little bit, if you see any bubbles show, use the back of spoon to tap it down, make custard looks smooth. 

Laid it on the sheet pan, for easy transition, and avoid spill. Bake about 45- 50 minutes. Crust will be light golden brown, custard will be set.   

Take it out to chill completely, before remove from the tart pan.  Use the back of spoon apply the finish top coat which melt orange marmalade in the microwave  then mix with orange cognac or brandy, on too of filling to enhance the flavor, and it will make tart shine too.  Then insert the knife between the tart shell and pan, slowly turn circle, tart should be easy to release, gently slice it to serving plate.  

The best taste at the same day in room temperature.  Or, store in refrigerator, reheat tart at the same temperature 350F, around 10 minutes, tart will be back to crispy and crumbly again!

夏天是桃李的季節,  有些香甜柔軟, 有些則是清脆帶一點酸.  甜的我喜歡拿它來做菜, 我會把它們做成鹹鹹甜甜或是辣中帶甜味的菜色.  脆度和酸度高的最適合來烘烤, 因為在高溫下的烘培之後, 將會和甜品充分協調.  這份香橙脆桃塔, 有著一觸即撥動的酥皮.  桃子引領著它本身天然的香氣和酸度, 甜美的蛋液溶入柳橙酒.  我特別喜愛它! 在炎熱的夏天配上一杯冰紅茶或是挖一球香草冰淇淋搭配著食用, 是一份很清新的甜品.

準備時間: 30 分鐘用來切桃子做塔皮並且將桃子排列入盤.

烘烤時間 : 45-50分鐘.

適用: 6-8 人份.

材料:  

塔皮:

1.  1/4 杯的細砂糖.

2.  11/2 杯的低筋麵粉.

3.  6 大匙的無鹽奶油.

4.  2 個蛋黃.

5.  1 個削細末的檸檬酸皮.  

內餡 ：

4 個桃子去仔切細片, 入塩水洗過然後濾乾.

蛋液：

1.  3 大匙的無鹽奶油.

2.  11/4 杯的細砂糖.

3.  1顆檸檬的汁. 

4.  1 大匙的柳橙酒或是白蘭地.

5.  1 顆蛋.

6.  2 大匙的玉米粉.

最後的一層亮衣 :

1 大匙的柳橙果醬加上1大匙的枊橙酒或是白蘭地微波爐加熱拌勻.

塔皮 : 

將所有塔皮的材料放入食物攪拌機中, 不斷的按下數次, 直到所有的成分看起來像溼的沙一般.  當你擠壓它便能結塊.  

例入所有的麵團混合物入塔盤中, 然後用量杯平整並做出周邊的一圈.  就這麼簡單!

將塔皮移至冷凍櫃裡面至少三十分鐘 ! 我通常喜歡提早把它做好, 這樣我隨時想烤的時候, 只要加入內陷.

排列由外往內層參差即可.  快速的完成這項工作避免塔皮和內餡在烘烤的過程中先焦掉.    

將烤架移製烤箱內最後下一層.

烤箱預熱175C : 

在火爐上, 或微波爐里融化奶油和糖.  然後加入檸檬汁, 柳橙酒或是白蘭地.

取用另外一個碗, 將蛋和玉米粉拌勻, 然後加入溶化的奶油混合物.  別過度攪拌.

倒入所有的混合液體入塔盤中, 充分旋轉使蛋液均勻散佈.  輕輕在桌上敲塔盤, 若有泡沫出現, 使用湯匙的背部戳破它, 盡量讓蛋液看起來平滑.  

將塔盤移置平面的烤盤上, 可以方便取之, 並且預防外洩.  大約烤40-50 分鐘, 塔皮會承現金黃色, 內陷也會定型.

取出烤箱使其冷卻, 使用湯匙的背部抹上調勻的柳橙果醬加柳橙酒或是白蘭地! 然後將刀子放入塔和塔盤之間, 慢慢轉動, 塔就會輕易的和塔盤分離, 輕輕的滑至盤中.  

當天的室溫狀態下是最好吃的.  或是儲存在冷藏室裡, 食用時再以同樣的溫度175C加熱大約十分鐘.  塔就會再次回到原來的香酥了.  

Creamy Acorn Squash Soup with Crab Meat 蟹肉南瓜濃湯

What else could taste better then having  a bowl of fancy delicate crab meat, and naturally sweet acorn squash at Fall !  I try to bring Asians ingredients, such as woody dry mushroom, cilantro... then give it western spice like bay leave, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Representing this dish in American style, just like I come from Taiwan,but I am enjoy to be an American too.  It's a dish with great harmony and vivd personity.  I serve it on my Thanksgiving table too.  I think you will love it ! 

                            

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes.

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes.
Serve: 4-6 people.

Ingredient :

1. 1 large size acorn squash or 2 small, pealed, seeded, dice in chunks.

*  Acorn squash has tough shell to deal with.  I like to cut the top and bottom off first.  This will make a steady stand, then cut off the peal, halved, seeded with spoon.  It's easier and safe to handle.  Same idea you can use on cutting cantaloupe, honeydew .... 

2.  1small onion roughly chopped.

3.  1 Grammy smith apple , pealed, seeded, diced in chunks.

4.   3 dry mushrooms soak in the hot water, then roughly chopped. Remain the water add in the dish.

* Shitake Mushroom works fine too! 

5. 1 inch size ginger rough chopped.

6.  1 stork of celery half rough chopped to cook, other half fine diced for finish serving.

7.  Cilantro roughly chopped for serving.

8.  1 can 14.5 oz chicken broth.

9.  I can 10 oz calm juice.

10.  Shelled crab meat from can.  

Flavor:

1. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

2.  1/8 fresh ground nutmeg.

3.  1 bay leave.

4.  1/4 cup Dry white wine.

5.  Salt and white and red pepper for your own taste.

Medium heat, add oil to the pot, throw in ginger and onion, sauté till ginger fragrant come out, onion looks transparent, then add in mushrooms, celery keep stirring. If bottom of pan is try, you can add a little bit more oil.  Keep adding in the acorn squas, then pour in the chicken broth, calm juice, and white wine.  Don't forget the mushroom water.  

Turn hear high, add in bay leave, cinnamon, nutmeg, season with salt, white and red pepper for taste, bring to the broil point.  Cook acorn squash to fork tender about 15 minutes, depend the size you chopped.   

Pureed soup in the food processor or blender until creamy.  Pour soup back to the pot adjust the thickness with a little more chicken broth or water maybe, and keep it warm.  

*  I would like to remain some of soup and don't blend it.  When I serve, I add it on top of soup, it will look very attractive.

Serve with crab meat, sprinkle with cilantro and celery, fews red chili pepper. It is a grat joy of fancy and comforting soup at Autumn.  

還有什麼在秋天裡來上一碗高級細緻的蟹肉, 配上香甜的南瓜濃湯更棒的！

我試著把亞洲的材料像是味道深沉的香菇, 香菜.... 然後再加上西式的香料, 肉桂葉, 肉桂粉和肉荳蔻粉.  再用美式的方法呈現, 就好像我來自台灣, 但是也可以開心的當位美國人一樣.  這是一道非常和諧卻又充滿特色的湯品, 也是我在感恩節會上桌的一道菜肴, 我想你會愛上它的！

準備時間: 5-10分鐘.

烹調時間: 15-20分鐘.

使用份量：約4-6 人.

材料:

1.  1 個大南瓜或是兩個小的南瓜, 去皮,去籽, 切11/2 吋塊狀. 

*  南瓜帶皮有些厚重不是很容易處理.  我喜歡先切掉頭尾, 使其能夠站穩, 然後去皮, 切半, 使用湯匙去仔.  這樣會比較安全又容易去處理.  可以使用同樣的方法來切哈密瓜和綠色香瓜.

2.  1顆小洋蔥切塊狀.

3.  1顆酸的青蘋果去皮,去籽,切塊.

4.  3 顆香菇泡熱水之後切塊狀, 留下香菇水煮湯備用.  

* 新鮮的香菇也可以! 

5.  大約一吋左右大小的薑去皮, 切小塊.

6.  一根西洋芹, 一半切塊煮湯用, 另外一半切細丁在上桌前使用.

7.  香菜大約切細.

8.  1 罐雞高湯.

9.  1 瓶蛤蠣高湯.

10.  去殼的蟹肉.

調味料:

1. 1/4 茶匙的肉桂粉.

2.  1/8 茶匙的肉荳䓻粉.

3.  1片肉桂葉.

4.  1/4 杯的白酒.

5.  鹽, 白胡椒和紅辣椒依個人喜好.

中火, 置入油, 丟入薑和洋蔥, 炒至薑味釋出, 洋蔥變透明, 再加入香菇西洋芹繼續翻炒.  如果鍋底太乾可以再加少許的油.  再繼續加入南瓜, 倒入雞和蛤蜊高湯和酒.  別忘了還有香菇水.

改大火, 加入肉桂葉, 肉桂粉, 肉豆蔻粉, 鹽巴白胡椒和紅辣椒.  講南瓜煮至軟, 約15分鐘.  依你切塊的大小不一而定.

使用食物處理機或是果汁機, 將湯攪碎成泥.  然後倒回原來的鍋中, 使用雞或蛤蠣高湯調整濃度, 並且保溫! 

*  我喜歡保留一些湯品, 不攪碎, 然後上桌時放在湯頭上, 讓它看起來更吸引人.

食用前再撒上香菜和西洋芹菜末, 少許的紅辣椒粉. 這是一道在秋天溫馨又高級的享受 ! 

Beef and potato Japanese Style

" Beef & Potato ". You might think about steak with mash potato now, but I am thinking about something all the Japanese moms will make.  These thin sliced beef, Yukon gold potato, sauté onion mushroom braise in Japanese style broth ( bonito flakes,  kombu, sake, ....)

Lightly, soupy, great comfy!
  
 
                                                     
 


                                               

Ingredient :  

1.  11/2 pound thin sliced beef.  

* Check the frozen section in any Asian supermarket.  It's a cut from rib-eye or flank steaks, but paper thin looks like.

You can ask your butcher use machine cut it for you, almost like size of the Phildaphia cheese steak.

2.  1 large size onion. 

3.  1 chill seeded.

4.   2 tablespoons  sesame oil ( light or dark )

5.  2 scallions chopped the white part like  size of onion for sauté.  Green part diced for finished.

Japanese style broth.  

1.  4 dry mushrooms soak in hot water.

2.  3 inch of kombu, rinsed.

3.  I tablespoon soy sauce.

4.  1/4 cup sake.

5.  1 tablespoon sugar or more.

6.  Salt for taste. 

7.  1 gallon water.

1. 1 cup bonito flakes, put in the filter bag or warp in the cheese cloth, or you can drain it later.

2.  Put all the Japanese broth ingredient  

In one pot, except bonito flakes.  Bring it to the broil then turn heat to medium.  Let it cook about 10-15 minutes more so all the flavor will come out together.  kill the heat, add in the bonito flakes, as a tea bag, let it sit for 2-3 minutes then take it out and discard.

Too much trouble, just get the Japanese style seasoning soy sauce as picture below...

3.  Use 2 tablespoon sesame oil, medium heat, sauté the white part of scallion and onion, add the salt right away, cook onion to a little transparent, then add in the potato and broth, bring to the broil.

4.  Separate the thin sliced of beef, add in to the soup gradually, bring to the broil point again, then turn heat to low, simmer about 15 minutes.  Potatoes will be tender and easy go through with chopstick or fork without force.

5.  Sprinkle with green part of scallion and red chill pepper powder.  Serve hot with a bow of rice, woo- don noodle is very good with soup too!


As pictures below...
Dry mushroom 

Bonito flakes

Kombu

Japanese seasoning soy sauce

* You can find these ingredients in any Chinese, Japanese or Whole food supermarket ... 

     
       

Green Tea & Coffee Cookies!

Tea is a big thing in Chinese, Taiwan and Japenese culture, just like German has beer, Irish loves whiskey.  It also has special celermory to serve tea.  Because of tea population are very high, so vender create lots product about tea.  If you travel to these country, you will see tea could be add in, from appertize, entree to disser.  Green tea cakes are big hit in the business.  I try to bring the same flavor to the cookies, use vegetable shortening to avoid over powder the tea flavor, confectioner suger make it very crunble.  It'a very simple cookies, lighly sweet, just let the tea speak to itself.

Preparation:  10 minutes.
Baking time: 15 minute for 2 lagest cookie sheets.
Make about 48 cookies.

*  (        ) For Coffee Cookies.

Ingredient :

1. 1 cup vegetable shortening.

2. 1/2 cup confectioner sugar.

3. 1 tablespoon green tea powder.
( 2 tablespoons espresso powder)

4. 1 tablespoon zest from lime.
( 1 tablespoon Kahlu'a)

5. I tablespoon honey.

6. 2 cup all-pious flour.

7. 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Wet Ingredient
Cream vegetable Sh with confectioner sugar in the mixer.

Dry Ingredient
Set a parchment paper on the largest cookie baking sheet. Shift flour and green tea powder (espresso powder) and salt, then add in lime zest all on top of parchment paper.

Set mixer on low speed. Fold the parchment paper in half, carry dry ingredient carefully and slowly add in the wet ingredient. Mix well until it all comes together like dough.

Divide dough by 2 parts. Laid it on the plastic wrap big enough for the log, and make it like 2 inch log for two.
Wrap the cookies dough with plastic wrap, twisted two end like candy wrappers, then again with parchment paper. Keep in the freezer until harden, it will stay more than a month.

Preheat oven 350F degree.

Set the parchment paper.

Sliced the cookie log to 1 cm thick, laid down on the parchment paper keep 1 inch apart. Sprinkle granulate sugar ( light brown sugar ) evenly on top of cookies.

* Do it in good speed, so the cookies dough won't soften, loose the shape.
Bake between 12- 15 minutes when the bottom turn slightly pale brown, and the top are just hard enough to touch. Green tea cookies baked fast than Coffee cookies.

* Cookies are very crumble, so leave cookies on the baking sheet, cool down till you can handle and you won't break it apart! Remove cookies to the cooling racks for totally cool down. Store cookies in air tight container, best taste in a week.

Shred Beef Korean Style ( Bulgogi)

I am not a Korean, but I love Korean food.  It's simple but great vivid personality, so real, that's the way life suppose to be. Bulgogi is one of dish that my family must order when we go to Korean place.  You get this tender thin shred beef sauté with crunch onion, colorful carrot, scallion and woodsy sundry mushroom.  Savor and nature sweetness from the pear sauce.  Sesame seeds and sesame oil are really high light to this dish.  Enjoy with a bowl of rice or noodle.  Lift is good enough.

 

Preparation 10-15minutes.
Cooking time:  10 minutes.
Serve: 4 people.

 

Ingredient:

1.  1/2 pound shared beef.  ( you can find it on any Asian supermarket at refrigerate or frozen section.  Tradrer Joe carry it too! ) * This cut of meat ususaly is from ribeye steak, also is the same cut, when we do the Cheess Philiy Steak.

2.  5 sundry mushrooms (fresh shtaki mushroon works too).  Soak in the warm water, cut into thin slice, save the water for add in the sauce later.

3.  1 medium onion thin sliced.

4.  1/3 cup carrot thin sliced.

5.   3 scallion cut it to the same length as above,  separate the white parts for sauté and green parts for colors.

6.  2 tablespoon of garlic minced.  


Flavor:

1.  1/4 cup say sauce.

2.  1/4 cup sake or dry white wine.

3.  1/2 cup  finely ground pear or apple sauce.

4.  1 teaspoon rice or white vinegar.
 
5.  1 teaspoon sesame oil.

6.  1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed.

7.  1 tablespoon sugar.

8.  Salt and red pepper for taste!

Hight heat, hot pan, goes in the cold oil,  garlic, white parts of scallion and onion at the same time.  Sauté when the fragrance come out then add in the beef and carrot, stir around.  When beef color change, add in soy sauce, musroon water, wine, pear or apple sauce, mix again.  Bring it to broil for 2-3 minutes, adjust the salt level and red pepper for the taste.  Kill the heat, Add in the vinegar and sesame oil, and the green parts of scallion, mix well.  Place on a plate, sprinkle toasted sesame seed.

* Tranditionaly, Korean marinated the meat at first, then grill on top of iron pan.  Therefore, you can use same marine sauce for any kind of steak, such as flank or skirt steak are good too.

Roast pork with Japanese yam in BBQ sauce

There's a day, you have time, but feel kind of laid back. You want a good meal, but don't really brother to cook. This roast pork is perfect for that, and easy as 1 2 3. The key is all about the temperature, I seal meat with high heat, then finish with low. same in the oven, of course, I only use one baking dish which is no fussy clean after all. Pork cooked nice in pink, so tender and juicy, plus tangy BBQ sauce and sweet Japanese Yam, I couldn't serve fast enough for my kids.  After all, you will understand why people loves pork so much!

 

Preparation time: ，5-10 minutes.

At least 30minutes bring meat back to room temperature with basic season.

Cooking time: 1 hour and half.

Serve: 4-5 people.

Ingredient:

1. 1 center cut born in pork chop.
A little less than 4 pound.

2. 2 Japanese Yam diced about 11/2 inch irregular cubes.


Flavor:

1. 3 tablespoon soy sauce.

2. 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

3. Salt.

4. White and red pepper.

5. Smoke pepper recall

4. 1/2 cup your favor BBQ sauce plus 2 tablespoon of more BBQ sauce.

5. 1/2 cup dry white wine.

6. 1 cup water.

Play pork in a large size oven safe roasting dish, apply the soy sauce all over the pork then oil. Sprinkle salt, white and red pepper generously, including the smoked paprika. Let it sit at the room temperature at least 30 minutes before goes in to oven.

* Soy sauce and smoked paprika will give meat the nice color without burning! *

Set the rack in the middle of oven, and preheat oven 425F degree.

Fat side up. Pork will sealed and nice golden brown about 30 minute later!

Turn heat down to 350F degree.

Throw in yam around the pork, then BBQ sauce, wine, water, salt and pepper for taste, mix a little, cover with foil cook about 1 hour. Check the internal temperatures, when it reach to 130F degree, brush you favorite BBQ sauce on pork. Put back in the oven, uncover this time. Repeat 2 to 3 time of BBQ sauce on pork about 10- 15 minutes. pork will be nice glazed with BBQ sauce.

Check the internal temperature again, when it hit 140F degree. Take it out from oven, cover with the same foil, let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes before carving. This way will remain flavor from juice inside of meat. Serve warm!

* Someday I play around with all different spices, and make my own sauce. Some other day, I will just use store bought. try all the different BBQ sauce at the international aisle from supermarket. you will always be surprised!!!