Mini Frangipane Tarts

This is the second recipe I make from Jamie Oliver's cookbook! See Quick Portuguese Tarts recipe here.
From the book, this recipe was asking for store bought pie shells, but since I have left over puff pastry from making quick Portuguese tarts, so I decided to substitute the pie shells to puff pastry shells and use the same technique to make the shells.  Another delicious dessert recipe!

Ingredients
*flour, for dusting
*1 large sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen
*ground cinnamon
*1 egg
*1 cup almond meal (flour)
*7 tablespoons butter, soften
*1/2 cup sugar
*1 orange
*1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*3/4 cup jam
*1 cup creme fraiche

Directions
1. Turn the oven on to 400F. Dust a clean surface with flour. Unfold the sheet of pastry, sprinkle over a few good pinches of ground cinnamon, then roll the pastry into a jelly roll shape and cut into 6 rounds. Put these into 6 of the cups of a muffin pan, and use your thumbs to stretch and mold the pastry into the cups so the bottom is flat and the pastry comes up to the top. Put on the top shelf of the oven and cook for around 8-10 mins, or until lightly golden.

2. Make a frangipane mixture by cracking the egg into a mixing bowl and adding 1 cup almond meal, 7 tablespoons of butter, and 1/2 cup sugar. Grate over the zest of 1/2 an orange and add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Use a spoon to mix everything together.

3. Spoon a small teaspoon of jam into each pastry base. Top with a teaspoon frangipoane, add another small teaspoon of jam, then finally another teaspoon of frangipane. Put the pan in the oven on the middle shalf and set the timer for 18 mins exactly.

4. When the little tarts are golden and cooked turn the oven off and take them out. serve them warm, with a tablespoon of creme fraiche on the side.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

A little trick to make the meat tasted like braised using a slow cooker, is to cook the meat on high for around 7-8 hours. The sauce will mostly be evaporated and the meat should be very tender and flavorful. If you want extra sauce, increase the sauce ingredients below, then simmer the sauce down to make homemade BBQ sauce.

Ingredients
*3 Tbs. canola or corn oil
*4 lb. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 equal pieces
*1 yellow onion, finely chopped
*3/4 cup cider vinegar
*3/4 cup tomato ketchup
*1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
*1/4 cup light molasses
*2 tsp. red pepper flakes
*1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
*1 tsp. dry mustard
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
*Soft sandwich rolls, split and toasted, for serving


Directions:
1.  In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork pieces and brown well on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a slow cooker.


2. Pour off all but about 1 Tbs. of the fat from the fry pan and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the mixture begins to bubble. Pour over the pork. Cover and cook for 8 hours on high.


3. Transfer the pork pieces to a platter. Using a pair of forks, shred each piece of pork, removing and discarding any large pieces of fat. Skim the excess fat off the sauce, return the pulled pork to the sauce and stir to combine. Serve the pork and sauce atop the sandwich rolls.

Quick Portuguese Tarts

I just got the Jamie Oliver's 'Meal in minutes' cookbook from the library yesterday. Saw the recipe for Portuguese tarts reminded me of the Portuguese tarts that I had in Hong Kong and I fell in love with them. This recipe is a little different from the Portuguese tart that I had before.  The crust is made from puff pastry, it was topped with caremel instead of burnt caramel top, and it has a hint of orange flavor. Even this recipe is different from what I had before, but it was delicious!

Ingredients
* All-purpose flour for dusting
* 1 large sheet all-butter puff pastry (14-ounce package), thawed if frozen
* Ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
* 5 tablespoons superfine sugar
* 1 orange

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Dust a clean surface with flour. Unfold the sheet of pastry. Sprinkle over a few good pinches of ground cinnamon, then roll the pastry into a jelly roll shape and cut into 6 rounds. Put these into 6 of the cups in a standard-size muffin pan, and use your thumbs to stretch and mold the pastry into the cups so the bottom is flat and the pastry comes up to the top. Put on the top shelf of the oven and cook for around 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.
2. Spoon creme fraiche or heavy cream into a small bowl. Add the egg, vanilla paste or extract, 1 tablespoon of superfine sugar, and the zest of 1 orange. Mix well.
3. Take the muffin pan out of the oven, and use a teaspoon to press the puffed-up pastry back to the sides to make room for the filling. Spoon the creme fraiche mixture into the tart cases, and return to the top shelf of the oven. Set the timer for 8 minutes.
4. Put a small saucepan on high heat. Squeeze in the juice from the zested orange and add 1/4 cup of superfine sugar. Stir and keep a good eye on it, but remember caramel can burn badly, so don’t touch or taste.
5. Remove the tarts from the oven. Pour some caramel over each tart (they’ll still be wobbly, but that’s good). Put aside to set. Then, serve.

Kimchi Fried Rice

I saw a Koren food truck another day, and on their menu they have Kimchi fried rice and was craving for some since then. It is very easy to make and the secret of making the best fried rice is to chill cooked rice overnight, so the rice will not be too sticky for stir frying.

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

* 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

* Kosher salt

* Freshly ground black pepper

* 1 1/4 cups Napa Cabbage Kimchi, drained and coarsely chopped

* 1 teaspoon Korean chile paste

* 4 cups steamed brown rice, chilled

* 1 tablespoon fish sauce

* 1 tablespoon soy sauce

* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

* 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more as needed

* 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

* 2 medium scallions, minced (white and light green parts only)

* 1 medium lime, cut into 6 wedges, for serving

Directions:

 1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Add the shrimp to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate; set aside.

2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add the kimchi and chile paste and stir-fry until fragrant and heated through, about 1 minute. Add the rice, fish sauce, and soy sauce and season with salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Push the rice mixture to one side of the pan, add the eggs, and cook, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until almost set, about 2 minutes. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat, fold the eggs into the rice mixture, add the reserved shrimp, measured lime juice, and sesame oil, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and lime juice as needed. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve immediately with the lime wedges.