My friend Bonnie So gave me this recipe and taught me how to make this. They are so light and dainty that eating them make me feel like an elegant French lady! The best thing is they are so small that they satisfy the crave of my sweet tooth yet never over run my calorie count. Then I can always fill them with different fillings according to seasons and moods. Fruit jam is my all time favourite, chocolate is always tempting. They go well with a cup of Earl Grey.
We had great fun making this napoleon. I have to thank my friend Florence for teaching me to make this. This is the best napoleon I have had since our Montreal days in the 80s : layers of crispy buttery pastry, whip cream, sponge cake and mango. The slightly salty flakes and the just right sweetness of the soft sponge give interesting sense of taste . The fragrance of the Australian mango adds another dimension to the flavour and it goes so well with the cream. Satisfying yet never filling. The magical thing is that it stayed crispy after a whole day in the fridge!
Blueberry muffin is a good snack food. There are many kinds of muffins, but blueberry muffins, like chocolate chip cookies, are the all time favourite. The colour combination for the eyes , the exquisite flavour of blueberries for the taste, make it a winner. They are easy to make and are good for breakfast, afternoon tea, in between meals snacks...And blueberries are nutritious too!
Many of my friends like this mango sago pamelo dessert. It seems like a strange combination but the ingredients complement each other surprisingly well. The mango gives the main flavour , the sago gives a pleasant texture (something to chew) and the pamelo gives occasionally 'out of the blue' sweet sour bites. The secret of this dessert lies in the balance of the ingredients. The amount of milk and cream can vary with personal preference.
Quiche is also one of our family's favourtie food, especially the kids. They like it not only because it is delicious but also easy to eat. I usually put ham and spinach and mushrooms in it so it comes like a complete meal with meat and vegetable. And it's loaded with the goodness of cheese and egg. In summer it goes well with a salad on the side and in winter with a bowl of soup. There are unlimited ideas to put in the pastry shell, sometimes even leftovers can magically turn out to be a wholesome surprise!
I like to make soups and clam chowder is one of my favourites. It takes quite some work to make but it's worth it. Clams are filled with the sea's natural flavour and the soup combines that sea flavour with potatoes and cream. A bowl of hot clam chowder in a cold winter evening warms not only the stomach but also the soul. I like to make the soup at home so we can have the soup our way, i.e. less butter and cream but still retains the full flavour of the clams and is a lot healthier.
When I have guests, often I make lamb because it seldom fails to please my guests. I usually bake a rack of lamb with rosemary and make a garlic butter sauce. (based on Look and cook with Annie by Annie Leong) It is a delightful deviation from the regular mint sauce. The sweetness of the sauce brings out the delicate flavour of lamb. A very satisfying meat dish in winter!
