Bake...bake...bake

I baked almost 30 pounds of cookies last week. Thanks for everyone supporting me! Happy holidays!

Fruitcake Forensics - Saveur.com

A interesting read about fruit cake.
Fruitcake Forensics - Saveur.com

Our official website is now up and running.

Deadline for holiday order is Dec 15.

Christmas packing for your cookie choices

Actual packing may looks different.

Christmas Gift Pack

Send your warmest greeting this Christmas to your family and friends with this Sweet Season's Greeting Gift Pack. Each pack contains:
2 Cranberry Biscotti
2 Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
2 Florentine
2 Sandwich Sugar Cookie

All nicely packed and wrapped into a box. Each gift pack is $18.00.
Limited quantities while supply last.

Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Made for chocolate lover.
To order.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti are crisp and crunchy. They are dressed for the holidays with red cranberries and green pistachios.

Ingredients: Cranberry, pistachio, unbleached flour, butter and sugar.

Order here.

Sandwich sugar cookie

Sugar cookie with raspberry jam, perfect time for Christmas.

Order here.

Bakery 22 Apron

Spice up conversations in the kitchen or around the BBQ with this tasty-looking apron (made of high-quality cotton twill, it's rugged and wears great too). Ideal for cooking, baking, grilling or bartending, it's perfect for foodies of all sizes. Simply slip the apron over your head and pull the waist-level drawstring to tighten it around your neck and waist. Two generous pockets hold utensils and more.
31" long & 29" wide
100% heavy cotton twill
Machine washable

Colors: White, khaki and yellow
Price: C$24.50 + shipping
You can order from here.

Christmas Fruit Cake

This dense fruit cake use 80% of dried fruit soaked in brandy overnight, then baked for 2 to 3 hours slowly. To be consume in Christmas, you need to bake 3 to 4 weeks beforehand, in order to let the fruity flavour blend into the cake.

Ingredients: Sultana, raisin, currant, galcé cherry, mix peel, brandy, cinnamon, mix spice, nutmeg, almond extract, lemon zest, orange zest, brown sugar, egg, butter and unbleach-flour

Order here.

Christmas packing

One of my Christmas packing this year.

Banana Bread

100g sultanas
75 ml water
175g plain flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter, melted
130g sugar
2 large eggs
4 small, very ripe bananas, mashed
60g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the sultanas and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-size bowl. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar, beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture,a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrap into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1-1/4 hours. When it's ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out clean. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool.

Makes 8- 10 slices.

Brief history of tea

Shen Nung (神農), who was a herbalist and scholar. An interesting fact that he only drank boiling water due to the sake of hygiene. One day in 2737 BC, while he was resting under a wild tea tree, a slight breeze brew a few leaves into the simmering water that he was preparing. He found the resulting brew was delicious and refreshing, so tea was discovered.

Apple Walnut Cake

This is not a fancy cake, but an apple cake with olive oil. I read this recipe from Nigella Lawson's book, she suggest use rum to cook down the sultana and use walnut oil. Well, I think the rum's flavour will cover most of the cake and walnut oil is hard to find as well. Thus, I follow her side path to use olive oil and water to cook the sultana instead.

Ingredient: Sultana, walnut, lemon zest, cinnamon, egg, apple and flour.

$18 for a 8 inch. cake.

Glutinous rice ball with black sesame paste 芝麻湯圓

This is a traditional Chinese dessert usually eaten before the Chinese New Year.

In China, every family worship a "kitchen god" in their kitchen. At the end of the year, this god will go back to the heaven to report how this family did over the past year. The family made this sticky ball to glue the mouth of this god in order to prevent him from saying anything bad about the family.

Nowadays, these sweet ball also means reunion due to the round shape. It usually served in sweet soup made of brown cane sugar and ginger. The stuffing can varies from peanut paste to red bean paste.

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf (Madeira Cake)

This a variation of Madeira cake. Madeira cake is a sponge cake in traditional English cookery. It has a firm yet light texture and is flavoured with lemon and butterly. Madeira cake was named after the Madeira wine, which often served with during the 19th century. An afternoon tea is not really the same without this cake.

$15 per loaf

Poach Pears

4 to 6 pears depend on size (peel, core and cut in quarter)
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise
1 litre of water
1-1/4 cups of sugar
2 slices of ginger

1. In a large saucepan, heat the water with all the dry ingredients.
2. Slide in the pears and cover with a round of parchment paper with a small hole cut in the centre.
3. Keep in a low boil and simmered until the pears are cook through (about 30 to 50 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and let the pears cool down in the liquid.

History of Rugelach

Years ago, Rugelach was pretty much a treat that Jewish people prepared and ate. It originated in the Eastern European Jewish community. There are many ways to make them and many recipes that are called "Rugelach". Rugelach also is made in many shapes and flavors but typically they are all formed to be the size of a cookie. A classic variety is the traditional crescent shape.

Cooking with sour cream is a Central European tradition with its roots in the Middle East. Cakes, pastries and cookies combining sour cream with fruits, jams, nuts and spices are specialties of this part of the world. According to food historians, contemporary Jewish-American Rugelach (frequently made with cream cheese) descends from this tradition.

These cookies are known by different names in different countries: Kipfel from Germany, Kifli from Yugolsavia and cream cheese cookies from the United States. Presumably, the first recipes for Rugelach-type pastries were introduced to America by immigrants from Hungary, Russia, Poland, Yugoslavia and other neighboring countries. Most of these immigrants were Jewish.

Basically crescent-shaped cookies that comes from the Yiddish word "rugel" (royal), they are also called Kipfel, cheese Bagelach, and cream-cheese horns of plenty in this country. Traditional Rugelach dough is usually rolled out into circles, cut into pie shapes, covered with nuts, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon and then rolled up like crescents. It can also be rolled out into a rectangle, covered with filling, rolled up, and cut into circles. The American addition to Rugelach was cream cheese and a variety fillings used today.

Ginger macadamia nut, organic

Everyone loves this cookies. The best combinations of crystallized ginger and macadamia nut, each bite is full of real flavour and rich aftertaste. Both ginger and macadamia nut were organics.

$18 for 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Organic crystallized ginger, organic macadamia nut, sugar, butter, unbleached flour and rice flour

Why organic food is more expensive?

Many people ask what does organic really mean? Organic means that fruits, nuts, seeds or other ingredients are grown without the use of any pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation.

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

Occasionally people confuse a product being called organic as the same as being all natural. All natural products may not contain any additives or preservatives, but it does not mean that they are organic. They can be all natural, but contain products that are not grown or produced organically.

There is often a question as to why organic food tends to be more expensive than non-organic food? Organic foods are processed in a different and more regulated way than non-organic foods. This causes the production cost to be a little higher. Also, organic farmers do not receive federal subsidies like conventional farmers. Therefore, the higher cost of organic products represents a more true cost of growing. Organically grown products are much more labor intensive since there are no chemicals used to aid in growing and prevent insects from ruining crops. The organic methods of growing require much more management than conventional farming. Most organic products are grown in much smaller areas than conventional products. This smaller amount of land produces less overall organic products in comparison to standard products. Thus, the smaller supply of organic products also contributes to the higher price.

Beaches Arts & Crafts Show 2010

I'm giving away cookie samples this Saturday & Sunday (June 12-13) at the Beaches Arts & Crafts Show. Come find Carol's booth and enjoy a day at the Show.

Cream Puff

Choux (pronounced as shoe) is of French origin and its literal meaning is “cabbage“. A cream puff has a cabbage like appearance due to the typical rough surface texture. Choux pastry is often referred to as “Cream Puff Pastry”. It is used in a variety of both sweet and savoury products, forming a basis for small confections, gateaux, as a fancy topping for slicesm and pies. It’s also used to make small savoury cases for fish, meat and other fillings.

Organic Walnut Sandies

These cookies use lots of organic walnuts, very nutty and melt in your mouth right the way.

$12 for 12 pcs.
Ingredients: Organic toasted walnut, brown sugar, butter and unbleached flour.

Organic

From now on, all the nuts in the cookies are certified organics.

Macadamia and White Chocolate Cookies

You healthy choice of cookies! This cookies use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. Unsweetened shredded coconut mixed with roasted macadamia nuts, give you a full variations in your mouth. Pairing with a dark roast coffee is my recommendation.

$18 for 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Macadamia nuts, white chocolate, extra virgin olive oil, cinnamon powder, brown sugar, egg, and unbleached flour.

Father's Day Gift Pack

Father's Day is coming on June 20. Express your love to him with my home baked cookies, together with this coffee dripper and 7 individually packed fresh roasted and grind coffee. Guaranteed he has a unique refreshment for 7 days.

Mrs. Beans coffee are fresh roasted with eco-friendly hot air system, from organic and fair-trade Arabica coffee, grown by small scale farmers.

This unique and yet simple coffee brewer gives you ultimate control. A cross between a French press and drip, the Clever Coffee Dripper allows you to get full flavor extraction without the sediment. Once the desired brew time is met, the brewer can be placed on a cup or thermos and the coffee drains through the bottom.

This gift pack is $40, which include: 1 lb. of cookie of your choice, 7 packs of 14g coffee and the Clever Coffee Dripper with paper filters.

Traditional Shortbread

$18 for 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Butter, sugar and flour.

Traditional Scotish Shortbread

Shortbread is a type of biscuit (cookie) which is traditionally made from sugar, butter and white flour. It is named like this because of its crumbly texture.

The story of shortbread begins with the medieval "biscuit bread". Any leftover dough from bread making was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a type of rusk. Gradually the yeast in the bread was replaced by butter, and shortbread was born.

Shortbread was a special treat reserved just for special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and New Year. In Shetland it was traditional to break a decorated shortbread cake over the head of a new bride on the threshold of her new home. The custom of eating shortbread at New Year has its origins in the ancient pagan Yule Cakes which symbolised the sun. In Scotland it is still traditionally offered to "first footers" at New Year.

Shortbread has been attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots, who in the mid 16th century was said to be very fond of Petticoat Tails, a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread originally flavoured with caraway seeds. There are two theories regarding the name of these biscuits. It has been suggested that the name "petticoat tail" may be a corruption of the French petites gatelles (little cakes).

However these traditional Scottish shortbread biscuits may in fact date back beyond the 12th century. The triangles fit together into a circle and echo the shape of the pieces of fabric used to make a full-gored petticoat during the reign of Elizabeth I. The theory here is that the name may have come from the word for the pattern which was 'tally', and so the biscuits became known as "petticoat tallis".

Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of these three shapes: large circle divided into segments (Petticoat Tails), individual round biscuits (Shortbread Rounds) or a thick rectangular slab cut into "fingers."

Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti sprinkled with Cinnamon Sugar.
$12 for 10 pcs.
Ingredients: organic almond, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, vegetable oil, sugar and flour.

This biscotti use vegetable oil instead of butter, the texture is more crunchy.

Espresso Biscotti

Espresso Biscotti partly coated with milk chocolate.
$5 for 6 pcs. Minimum order 12 pcs.
Ingredients: Almonds, dark chocolate chips, espresso, cinnamon, orange zest, butter, egg, and flour.

Gift boxes

Gift boxes for any occasions.

Biscotti

In Italian, biscotti means "twice cooked". The word biscotti is derived from "bis (twice)" and "cotto (cooked)". Biscotti is also the generic term for cookies in Italian. The dough is formed into logs and baked until golden brown. The logs are then sliced, and the individual biscotti are baked again to give them their characteristic dryness. The shelf life of biscotti are three to four months without preservatives or additives. Other countries have their version of this cookie are, Dutch rusk, French biscotti and the German zwieback.

History
Early Seaman's biscuits, also known as hard tack, probably were the first version of biscotti. They were the perfect food for sailors who were at sea for months at a time on long ocean voyages. The biscuits were thoroughly baked to draw out the moisture, becoming a cracker-like food that was resistant to mold. Biscotti were a favourite of Christopher Columbus who relied on them on his long sea voyage in the 15th century. Historians believed that the first Italian biscotti were first baked in 13th century Tuscany in the city called Prato.

Marble cookie

Marble cookie.
Improved with Belgium dark chocolate to enrich the flavor. Goes with a latte and enjoy a lazy afternoon.

$18 for 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Belgium dark chocolate, egg, butter, sugar and flour.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry New York Cheesecake

$55 for 12x9 inch, or $30 for 6x9 inch.

Gift box

Mother's day is coming, give her some cookies to show your love. This gift package now available for you.

Fruit Flan

Walnut Crisps

Walnut Crisps. $12 for 15 pcs, each piece measure 3 inches in diameter.
Ingredients: Walnut, egg, sugar and flour.

Rosemary raisin cookie

Rosemary Raisin Cookie. $18 for 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Rosemary, nutmeg, raisin, egg, butter, sugar and flour.

Pistachio and cardamon cookie

Pistachio and cardamon cookie. $18 fro 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Pistachio, ground cardamon, lemon zest, butter and sugar.

Hazelnut Cranberry Biscuits

Hazelnut Cranberry Biscuits. $18 for 20 pcs.
Ingredients: Ground hazelnut, dried cranberry, poppy seed, butter and sugar.

Easter egg

Ready for Easter yet? Shredded wheat wrapped with chocolate.

Black Forest Cake

Cookies n cream cupcake

Special order by my daughter, the toughest client I ever met.

Peanut Butter Cookie

Peanut Butter Cookie. $15 per lb.
Ingredients: Roasted peanut, peanut butter, butter, and sugar.

Chocolate walnut cupcake

Chocolate walnut cupcake with a hint of orange flavor, made for Sharon's birthday party.

Green tea cupcake

Green tea cupcake with red bean paste filling, whipped cream on top. Who can resist?

Cream caramel

Cream caramel in a sunny sunday morning, hmm.

I reduced the amount of sugar in the cream, so the caramel dominated the taste in you mouth, it feels so good with the aftertaste.

Chocolate and orange cupcake

Banana muffin

Blueberry cream cheese cupcake

The cream cheese filling, together with the blueberries, gave a balance between the cake. Either eat with the blueberry sauce or not, were great taste.

Coffee walnut biscotti

Tea biscuit