chinese new year

I know that Chinese New Year has passed like probably 3 weeks ago but I haven't been able to post some pictures of what I made to celebrate it. Usually people will have pineapple cookies/tarts for celebrating it, but this time instead of making that I made egg tarts and cashew cookies. My version of egg tarts are not so nice because this is the first time I made it. I will try to perfect the shape of egg tarts the next time I make it.

Cashew Nut Cookies

This recipe is courtesy of SeaSaltWithFood.





Ingredients

250 g Pastry Flour, sifted
250 g Ground Cashews
150 g Sugar
1 stick (225 g) Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into smaller pieces
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
A handful Of Cashews Halved
1 Egg White for egg wash

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line cookie trays with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well in the food processor. Then add the butter and process until the mixture become crumbly.
Add the sugar and vanilla extract and process briefly. Combine the pastry mixture with hand into soft dough. Set aside for about 20 minutes.
Roll the dough lightly on a flour surface to about 3/4 cm thick. Cut into 5 cm rounds with a fluted ring cutter. Press a cashew half in the centre and brush with egg wash.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on tray for 3 to 4 minutes and transfer onto wire racks to complete cooling.

Egg Tarts

And this recipe is from my cooking book. It's called Kitchen Classics: ASIAN FLAVOUR by Jane Price



Ingredients

Outer Dough
165g (5 3/4 oz or 1 1/3 cups) of plain all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons icing (confectioners') sugar
2 tablespoons oil

Inner Dough
125g (4.5 oz or 1 cup) of plain all-purpose flour
100g (3.5 oz) lard, chopped / 5 tablespoons margarine

Custard
55g (2oz or 1/4 cup) sugar
4 eggs

Directions

To make the outer dough, sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Make a well (hole) in the centre. Combine the oil with 80 ml (1/3 cup) water and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix with a flat-bladed knife, using a cutting action, to form a rough dough. (If the flour is very dry, add a little extra water.)
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gather together in a smooth ball. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

To make the innerdough, sift the flour into a bowl. Using your fingertips rub the lard/margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Press the dough together into a ball, cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the outer dough into a rectangle about 10x20 cm. On a lightly floured surface, roll the inner dough into a smaller rectangle, 1/3 the size of the outer dough. Place the inner dough in the centre of the outer dough. Fold the outer dough over the inner dough so the short edges overlap and the inner dough is enclosed. Pinch the edges together to seal. Roll the dough away from you in one direction into a long rectangle, until it is about half as thick as it was previously. Fold the pastry into three layers by taking the left hand edge over the first, and then folding the right hand edge on top. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celsius. Brush two 12 hole muffin tins with melted butter or oil.

To make the custard, place 80ml water and the sugar in a saucepan and stir, without boiling, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and simmer without stirring for 1 minute. Cool the mixture for 5 minutes. Put the eggs in a bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Whisk the sugar syrup into the eggs until just combined and strain.

Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface. With one open end towards you, roll the pastry out to a rectangle about 3mm thick. Cut out rounds of pastry using a 7cm fluted cutler. Carefully place the pastry rounds into the prepared patty pans. Fill each pastry case two-thirds full with the eggs custard mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set. Be careful not to overcook the custard. Leave the egg tarts to cool for 3 minutes before removing them from the tin. Cool the tarts on a wire rack and serve warm or cold.