Christmas Stencil Cookie

These were the egg free sugar cookie with the egg free royal icing. I experimented with stencils this year. Stencil worked best on iced cookie. So the cookies were coated with royal icing with flood consistency. The icing for stencil should be with piping consistency.

Merry Christmas!

Yellow Cupcake

This is a classic rich, tender, buttery yellow cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 1 and 1/4 cups
Baking powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter - 6 TBSP at room temperature
Large eggs - 2 at room temperature
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Whole milk - 1/3 cup
Cupcake topping: Buttercream or others

Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Steps

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined. Beat on medium-high speed until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.

4. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

5. Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream or other toppings and serve.

Dried Sweet Potato

It is super easy, but time consuming to make dried sweet potatoes at home.
1. Steam/ boil sweet potato over medium high heat for 25 to 45 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through the center.
2. Remove from heat and let them cool down to room temperature.

3. Cut each sweet potato into 6 to 8 halves to dry. Use a dehydrator to dry at 135°F for 7 to 8 hours, or place pieces on a cooling rack and dry them under the sun for 2 to 3 days. I actually put them in oven to bake at 170°F for 7 hours. You can dry it shorter or longer, depending on the sweet potatoes and your personal preferences of the texture.

Simple Peking Duck (家常烤鸭)

Peking duck is famous for its thin, crispy skin. It is easier to roast a duck, but hard to get the crispness. There are many opinions and approaches. I picked and choose an feasible way out for me. This requires very few ingredients, but takes a long time - total 2-4 days. The result is pretty good. The baking tray caught a load of fat from the duck. Maybe my duck is too skinny. I just feel that there is not enough meat to eat :-)

Ingredient:

Duck - 1 whole, defrosted
Salt - enough for rubbing the duck inside and outside
Pepper - enough for rubbing the duck inside and outside
Honey - enough for coating duck 3 times

Steps:

1. On a hot frying pan, fry grounded pepper and salt together to make pepper salt.

 2. Rub duck with pepper salt, both inside and outside. Put in a plastic bag or covered container and marinate 1-2 days in refrigerator.

3. Use boiling water to rinse the duck until the skin tightens.
4. Add some warm water to honey to make a honey water and apply it all over the duck. Then hang the duck in a cool place with good air flow (I define that as my kitchen corner :-) and used a hiking pole and cloth hanger) Make sure to put a tray underneath. Let it hang for 1-2 days.

4. Preheat over to 400°F.
5. Apply another coat of honey water around the duck; wrap the head, wings, tips of legs with aluminum foil.
6. Place it in a baking rack and bake for 20 minutes.

7. Take the duck out, apply another layer of honey water, and flip it over. Bake for another 20 minutes.

8. Take the duck out, set oven to BROIL HI. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes to crisp the skin. Make sure to watch the duck so that it is not burned. Once it is browned, take out and serve.

Matcha (Green Tea) Nama Chocolate

This is adapted from Just One Cookbook. A copycat to the Japanese Royce Nama Chocolate.

Ingredients

Good quality white chocolate - 14 oz (400 g)
Heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup (125 ml)
Butter - 2 TBSP (25 g)
Matcha powder - 2 TBSP + more for sprinkling

Steps

1. Chop the butter and chocolate into smaller pieces using a knife so that they will melt faster and more evenly.
2. Line an 8" x 8" baking dish (I used a 21cm x 21cm pan) with parchment paper. Choosing the right size tray is important for the height of chocolate.

3. Add the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring it to ALMOST boil over medium heat. Keep an eye on the cream; when you see small bubbles around the saucepan, remove from the heat.
4. Add the butter and chocolate and stir till the chocolate and cream are completely combined.

5. Once the mixture is smooth, sift and add 2 Tbsp. green tea powder into the mixture.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.

7. Remove the chocolate from the baking dish and cut it into cubes using a warm knife. Make sure to warm the knife after each cutting to prevent splintering. Run the knife under hot running water and dry completely before each cut.

8. Sprinkle the matcha powder and serve it chilled. You can keep in the refrigerator for 2-3
days.

No-Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Cranberry Bread

This is from Sally's Baking Addiction recipe without the nuts.

Ingredients:

3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (390g) all-purpose flour, plus more for hands
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Optional: 3/4 cup chopped nuts

Optional: 3/4 cup Chocolate chips

1 Tablespoon honey
1 and 1/2 cups warm water (about 95°F)

Requires: 6 quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven with Lid or equivlent

Steps:

1. Stir the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in the warm water. The dough will be pretty sticky-- don't be tempted to add more flour-- you want a sticky dough. Gently shape into a ball as best you can.

2. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!) and allow to rise for 12-18 hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and be covered in air bubbles.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. Doesn't have to be perfect! Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your pot.)
4. Using a very sharp knife, gently score an X into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap and leave alone for 30 minutes.

5. During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C). (Yes, very hot!) Place your dutch oven (with the lid) or heavy duty pot inside for 30 minutes so that it's extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and sticking it all-- the parchment paper included-- inside the pot. Cover with the lid.

6. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 8-10 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before breaking/slicing/serving.
Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 week.

Make ahead tip/Freezing: 

The dough takes up to 18 hours to rise, so this is a wonderful recipe to begin 1 day ahead of time. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 2. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 3 and the rest of the recipe instructions.

Accordion Potato

An artistic way to bake a potato.

Ingredients

2 Russet potatoes (you can use any type of potato)
2 tsp of olive oil
1 tsp of BBQ Seasoning Powder (homemade or any brand seasoning you like)
pinch of salt

Steps

1. Peel and clean the potatoes. Use a pair of chopstick or thick bamboo skewer, place one on each side of the potato to hold the potato together, and prevent the knife from cutting the potato all the way through. Slice the potato to the thickness of your liking.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F, brush olive oil over the potato. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and some cumin over potatoes and cover with aluminum foil.

3. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, brush with more oil over potatoes and sprinkle BBQ seasoning over it. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 5-10 minutes or until the top part turn golden.

Candy Corn Krispie Treats

This is the traditional Kelloggs rice krispies treats recipe, decorated for Halloween.

Ingredients

	Yellow Ring	Orange Ring	Original Ring
Rice krispies cereal	8 cup	6 cup	4 cup
Marshmellow	13.3 oz	10 oz	6.7 oz
Butter	4 TBSP	3 TBSP	2 TBSP
Food color	Yellow	Orange

This is for three 9" cake pans, to make 24 wedges

Steps

1. Butter the three 9" cake pan.
2. Follow the same instruction as rice krispie valentine lollipops to make rice krispie treat, and then put them in one ring at a time.

 3. Let the treat fully cool and set, at least 30 minutes, then flip over your cake pans onto a cutting surface, and tap pan on cutting board to remove krispie treat round. Cut the round large round in half, then quarters, then cut each quarter in half. Add a lollipop stick and wrap it up for Halloween treat.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake (三色巧克力慕斯蛋糕)

I tried this recipe found online for my friend's birthday.

Ingredients

【Oreo Crust】
7 oz (200g) oreo cookies
4 tbsp (60g) butter, melted
【Dark Chocolate Mousse】
5 oz (150g) semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup (120g) whipping cream
2/3 cup (160g) whipping cream, chilled
1 tsp (4g) gelatin powder
1 tbsp +1 tsp (20ml) cold water
【Milk Chocolate Mousse】
5 oz (150g) milk chocolate
1/2 cup (120g) whipping cream
2/3 cup (160g) whipping cream, chilled
1 tsp (4g) gelatin powder
1 tbsp +1 tsp (20ml) cold water
【White Chocolate Mousse】
5 oz (150g) white chocolate
1/2 cup (120g) whipping cream
2/3 cup (160g) whipping cream, chilled
1 tsp (4g) gelatin powder
1 tbsp +1 tsp (20ml) cold water
【For decorating (optional)】
Cocoa powder
Fresh berries
Chocolate pieces/curls

Steps

1. Prepare the crust. Place the Oreo cookies into the bowl of a food processor and crush until crumbs form. Add melted butter and process until evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom of 8 inch mousse cake ring using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until the first layer of mousse is prepared.

2. Prepare dark chocolate mousse. In a heat proof bowl add the semi-sweet chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water, over low heat, until all the chocolate is melted. Meanwhile dissolve gelatin in cold water and let it swell for about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Place the gelatin over low heat just until the gelatin dissolves and pour it over the melted chocolate mixture. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely at room temperature.
4. Whip the remaining 2/3 cup chilled whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add melted chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.
5. Pour the chocolate mousse over the crust and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes to set slightly, until you prepare the next layer of chocolate mousse.

6. Repeat the same steps for preparing the milk and white chocolate mousse layers.

7. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight to set.
8. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to remove the mousse cake ring.

9. Before serving dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder and decorate with fresh berries if desired.

 Add a white candy melt plate and write on it with melted chocolate. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

While I was at it, I also made a few extra 3" chocolate mousse cakes.