BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS...ATIK'S 21ST BIRTHDAY

It has been sometimes since I updated my blog..

This was Atik's 21 st birthday celebration at home with the family...

Happy Birthday Atik Zaki Ridhwan

OLD FASHIONED APPLE TART/PIE

Just wanna share this great recipe from a blog which I totally forgot whose..but definitely a keeper. Normally I will copy the link for reference later but I have had this recipe for more than a year already.  Some people call it tart and not a pie. But whether a tart or pie, it sure is lovely...much better if eaten with ice cream or a dollop of whipping cream yummmyyyy..

Got a call from my friend Aini Bidin. Her daughter was making the apple pie but the dough was too crumbly. She called to ask me what to do..OMG I am her reference while baking...I feel honored but then again I am just me..so i told her to add more butter. She did and later she MMS me how the pie come out to be..looks good. She said problem now is her daughter expects her to eat the pie after a full dinner...hehehe

Well Aini Bidin..here is a recipe that your daughter can try when she is in the baking mood.

For my family I doubled the recipe and put in a 12 inch aluminium pie tin and 2 x 4.5inc alum pie case.

PASTRY

225g /8oz Self Raising flour (If using plain add a teaspoon of baking powder)

100gms/4oz butter

50gms/2 oz white fat ( I used shortening)

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Milk to bind

FILLING

Three medium cooking apples ( I used Granny Smiths)

Approximately 2-3 tablespoons soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Beaten egg for glazing

Caster sugar to sprinkle on top of the tart

Lemon juice to stop the apples browning

PASTRY

I do my pastry in the food processor

Whizzing the flour and icing sugar together

Add the fats and whizz until like fine breadcrumbs

Then add a little cold milk to combine (It will form a ball)

Add the milk in very small amounts. Easy to add hard to take away and you don't want soggy pastry dough. It should be quite firm

If doing by hand, rub the fats into the flour with your finger tips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs and then stir in a little milk to combine.

( I put the pastry ingredient into the mixer and use the paddle to mix all the above)

Wrap the dough in a plastic bag or cling film and pop in the fridge to rest for a little while.

Pre-heat your oven to 200.C/180.C fan/400.F/Gas.6

Meanwhile peel the apples and slice finely into a bowl. I have an old fashioned box grater with a fine slicing side and use this.

Squeeze over the lemon juice and stir gently to cover the apples.

Sprinkle over the brown sugar and cinnamon and set to the side.

Retrieve the pastry from the fridge and divide in two. One piece to be slightly smaller than the other for the base of the tart.

Grease your tart plate well

Roll out the smaller piece of pastry and place on the plate.

Spread the apple mix on top.

Use the egg wash round the edge of the pastry.Roll out the bigger disc of pastry and place on the top.

Trim the edges and crimp all round to seal.Cut a little hole on the top to let the steam escape.

Glaze with the beaten egg and pop in the oven for approx. twenty minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle over a little caster sugar when it comes out of the oven.

Chicken Mushroom Pie - My very own again...

Uhmmm I got up in the afternoon after a short nap and decided that I am baking Chicken mushroom pie for dinner..

Ingredients

1 kg chicken fillet, cut into small pieces

1 can of cream of mushroom soup plus  1-2 cups of water

300 gm of fresh mushroom of your choice  - I used abalone mushroom cut into cubes

1 onion - diced

2 garlic - minced

1 tbsp cornflour ( u can add more if there is too much gravy to your liking)

Salt and pepper to taste

Flaky pastry ..I bought 2 x 10 pieces Kawan brand pastry 

Method:

1. Heat up the oil and fry the diced onions together with the minced garlic;

2. Put in the chicken fillets and a little water;

3. Let it simmer for a few minutes;

4. Add the abalone mushrooms and continue to simmer;

5. Add the mushroom soup and water;

6. Once the mushroom is tender then add the cornflour;

7. Let  the gravy thicken a bit then set it aside to cool. The filling is ready.

8. Put the filling into a large pie dish or individual alum foil container. I put mine into a dozen foil container.

9. Roll out a bit of the pastry sheet enough to cover the top of the filling.

10. Brush with egg  yolk and bake till golden brown in a preheated oven at 200C  for 25 minutes.

11. I served the pie with steamed mixed vegetables and peas plus baked potato chips..

12. I took it out of the container when serving..and also add some brown sauce.

Banoffee Pie

My kids love this Banoffee Pie which I have not done for a while. Used to do individual ones but I got lazy and did the whole pie instead.They are easy to make and the taste is superlicious..

Base:

100g (3½oz) butter, melted

250g (9oz) digestive biscuits

Filling:

100g (3½oz) butter

100g (3½oz) dark brown soft sugar

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk ( I used F & N Condensed Milk)

Topping:

4 small bananas ( I add 3 more bananas and used Pisang Emas for best result)

300ml carton double cream, lightly whipped

grated chocolate

You will also need:

20cm (8”) loose-bottomed cake tin, greased

Method

To make the base, process the biscuits until crushed. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the base and 4cm (1½") up the sides of the tin. Chill the base while you make the filling.

To make the filling: place the butter and sugar into a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Add the condensed milk and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously. When the caramel has started to boil, remove from the heat and pour over the biscuit base. Cool, and then leave to chill for about 1 hour, until firm.

To serve, remove the pie from the tin and place on a serving plate. Slice the bananas, fold half of them into the softly whipped cream and spoon over the caramel base. Decorate with the remaining bananas and finish with the grated chocolate.

Old Fashioned Apple Tart

This is also a recipe I took off the Petite Chef's and it is surprisingly good.

Old Fashioned Apple Tart

Pastry

225g /8oz Self Raising flour (If using plain add a teaspoon of baking powder)
100gms/4oz butter
50gms/2 oz white fat
1 tablespoon icing sugar
Milk to bind

Filling

Three medium cooking apples
Approximately 2-3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Beaten egg for glazing
Caster sugar to sprinkle on top of the tart
Lemon juice to stop the apples browning

I do my pastry in the food processor
Whizzing the flour and icing sugar together
Add the fats and whizz until like fine breadcrumbs
Then add a little cold milk to combine (It will form a ball)
Add the milk in very small amounts. Easy to add hard to take away and you don't want soggy pastry dough. It should be quite firm
If doing by hand, rub the fats into the flour with your finger tips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs and then stir in a little milk to combine.
Wrap the dough in a plastic bag or cling film and pop in the fridge to rest for a little while.

Pre-heat your oven to 200.C/180.C fan/400.F/Gas.6

Meanwhile peel the apples and slice finely into a bowl. I have an old fashioned box grater with a fine slicing side and use this.
Squeeze over the lemon juice and stir gently to cover the apples.
Sprinkle over the brown sugar and cinnamon and set to the side.
Retrieve the pastry from the fridge and divide in two. One piece to be slightly smaller than the other for the base of the tart.
Grease your tart plate well
Roll out the smaller piece of pastry and place on the plate.
Spread the apple mix on top.
Use the egg wash round the edge of the pastry
Roll out the bigger disc of pastry and place on the top.
Trim the edges and crimp all round to seal.
Cut a little hole on the top to let the steam escape.
Glaze with the beaten egg and pop in the oven for approx. twenty minutes or until golden brown.
Sprinkle over a little caster sugar when it comes out of the oven.
Enjoy

PUMPKIN PIE

This recipe was taken from the Petite Chef nyer recipes sent by one of the contributors. Easy to make but I think klu I buat lagi I x kan taruh the ground nutmeg and ginger..pening sikit lah rasa dia overpowering sangat..also the recipe pie shell tu pakai lah apa2 recipe yang u suka..I pakai yg taruh shortening tu but I find it too lemak sesangat. Once I find a good pie shell recipe then I will pen it down for all to try..

Pumpkin Pie
2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin (reviewers suggested using more like 2 1/2 cups)
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger (we skipped this; Mom doesn't like ginger)
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
Pastry for 2 single 9-inch pie crusts

Prepare pastry. Roll out pastry to fill two pie plates. Partially prebake crust to keep it from getting soggy: Line crust with a double thickness of foil. Heat oven to 425 and bake foil-lined crust for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 2-4 minutes until crust is just barely starting to brown. Press down any bubbles with a fork. Don't prick the crust, though; you don't want filling leaking through.

In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a knife is inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean.