Bite-Sized Sandwiches for Tea Time!

Since we’re on the tea theme, I’m going to suggest a few different types of sandwiches you can serve with your afternoon tea (or even just for lunch)!

Cucumber/Dill Sandwiches

For about 5-6 sandwiches…

·      1 cucumber, sliced thinly width-wide (cutting circles)

·      2 tbsp fresh or dried dill

·      Butter, softened (for spreading)

·      Half a loaf of bread (any type you prefer)

Cut the loaf into 10-12 slices (or fewer slices depending on how thick you like your bread slices). Remove the crust from all of the slices. Spread one side of each slice with butter, layer every other slice with cucumber slices, and sprinkle with some of the dill. Close the sandwiches, and cut into whatever size sandwiches you want. Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

For about 5-6 sandwiches…

·      Half a loaf of bread

·      4 oz smoked salmon, cut into slices/pieces

·      Half a red onion, sliced into thin strips

·      Cream cheese, softened (for spreading)

Cut the loaf into 10-12 slices (or fewer slices depending on how thick you like your bread slices). Remove the crust from all of the slices. Spread one side of each slice with cream cheese, layer a couple pieces of smoked salmon on every other slice, and place some slices of red onion on the salmon. Close the sandwiches, and cut them into whatever size sandwiches you want. Enjoy!

Smoked Rainbow Trout (or any other smoked fish)

For about 5-6 sandwiches…

·      Half a loaf of bread

·      10 oz smoked rainbow trout/smoked fish, cut into slices/pieces

·      Half a red onion, sliced into thin strips

·      Butter, softened (for spreading)

·      Half a lemon (to squeeze)

Cut the loaf into 10-12 slices (or fewer slices depending on how thick you like your bread slices). Remove the crust from all of the slices. Spread one side of each slice with butter, layer a couple pieces of smoked fish on every other slice, place some slices of red onion on the salmon, and squeeze some lemon juice over it. Close the sandwiches, and cut them into whatever size sandwiches you want. Enjoy!

Curry Egg

For about 5-6 sandwiches…

·      5 large eggs, room temperature

·      ¼ tsp finely grated lemon zest

·      1.5 tsp lemon juice

·      ½ tsp curry powder

·      1/8 tsp dry mustard

·      ¼ cup mayonnaise

·      Salt and black pepper

Put the eggs in a large saucepan with cold water, and bring the saucepan to a boil. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let it stand for 10 minutes. Drain the water and cool under running water. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and let them sit until they’re completely cold, about 10-15 minutes. Peel the shells off the eggs and pat them dry. Finely chop the eggs and transfer to a medium-sized bowl, adding the rest of the ingredients and mashing them together. Cut the loaf into 10-12 slices (or fewer slices depending on how thick you like your bread slices). Remove the crust from all of the slices. Add the egg mixture to every other slice, close the sandwiches, and cut the sandwiches into whatever size you want. Enjoy!

Let's start tea time with some Scones!

So how about some tea? Tea time is a very popular tradition in Britain, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy it too! It simply consists of well-brewed tea, simple small sandwiches, light desserts, and, of course, warm, fluffy scones! Today I’ll show you my favorite scone recipe and my favorite pairing for them, clotted cream!

Ingredients:

For the scones…

·      2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

·      2 tsp baking powder

·      1 tbsp sugar

·      ½ tsp salt

·      6 tbsp cold butter, cut into very small chunks

·      2 eggs, beaten

·      ½ cup heavy cream (I’ve found in a lot of cases besides whipping that half-and-half and whole milk make good substitutes for heavy cream, in case you don’t have it)

·      ½ tsp vanilla

For the clotted cream…

·      6 oz cream cheese, softened

·      ½ up sour cream

·      2 tbsp powdered sugar

To make the scones…

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and grease a baking tray. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Work in the butter with a stand mixer or food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the beaten eggs, cream/milk, and vanilla, and stir until combined. Sprinkle your workspace with flour and knead the dough on it until not too sticky and smooth. Roll the dough flat to about ¾-inch and cut into whatever shapes you want. Put the pieces on the baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes.

To make the clotted cream…

Whisk the cream cheese until smooth and shiny, then stir in the sour cream and powdered sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Hot Cakes! (thick, delicious pancakes)

Everyone’s had pancakes, but have you tried Japanese hot cakes? These thick, cake-like pancakes are incredibly yummy and worth a try if you’re a pancake lover!

Ingredients:

·      1.5 cups AP flour

·      3 tbsp powdered sugar

·      2 tsp baking powder

·      ½ tsp kosher salt

·      1.25 cups milk

·      4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

·      ½ tsp vanilla extract

·      2 eggs, separated

·      ¼ tsp cream of tartar

·      You WILL need a couple of 3-inch-wide-by-2.5-inch-high ring molds

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolks in a separate bowl, then stir it into the flour mixture. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold in a fourth of the whites into the batter until combined, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Spray the ring molds and a nonstick frying pan lightly, and put the pan and the ring molds over medium heat. Fill the ring molds halfway with batter, cover with a lid, and cook until the batter rises to the top of the molds, about 5 minutes. Flip the molds carefully, cover, and cook until golden, another 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, remove the mold, and enjoy with butter and maple syrup!

French Toast Loaf Bake

It’s been a month since my last post, but now that I’m out of my junior year and settled in at my internship in HAWAII, I can start uploading more delicious recipes! Today’s recipe I saw in a Buzzfeed video and just had to try my own version for Mother’s Day. It’s a beautiful French Toast Loaf Bake, where you hollow out a loaf and turn it into a stacked French toast bake.

Ingredients:

·      Half a loaf of bread

·      2 eggs

·      1 cup milk

·      2 tbsp butter, melted

·      1 tbsp sugar

·      4 tbsp sugar

·      2 tsp cinnamon

·      Strawberries

·      Blueberries

·      Maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Hollow out the loaf of bread (keeping the bottom in tact) by cutting out the inside into cubes. Whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, and 1tbsp sugar in one bowl, and combine the 4tbsp sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Dip each side of the cut-up cubes into the egg-and-milk mixture, then cover lightly with some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and place on a greased baking tray. Paint the inside of the hollowed-out loaf with the milk mixture, dust with the cinnamon mixture, and place it on the same tray as the cubes. Bake for 15 minutes. Place a few cubes back in the hollowed loaf, add some strawberries, blueberries, and syrup, and repeat until the loaf is full. Top with whipped cream and more fruit, and you’re done!

Top 10 Baking Hacks and Tips

Ever had difficulties baking? I definitely have! And finding tips for making baking easier is both a lot of fun and cool to discover! So here are a few I’ve discovered, so I hope you give them a try. :)

1.     Add mayo to cake batter to make cakes more moist

2.     You can make crunchier brownies by whipping the sugar and eggs together

3.     Use cake mix to make simple cookies (using just three ingredients! Use a box of cake mix, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 2 eggs, and baking at 350º for 10-12 minutes)

4.     You can tell when a cake is done baking when it springs back when pressed lightly

5.     Add simple syrup to revive dry cakes or keep layers moist when assembling and decorating cakes

6.     Frost cakes more smoothly by dipping your spatula in hot water while frosting

7.     Wait at least a few hours before serving fruit pie. This allows the filling to set properly without any runny juices

8.     The length of time you spend mixing the cake batter affects its density/flatness

9.     Make cupcake frosting swirl by using two bags in one tip

10.  Frost your cupcakes by putting a large marshmallow on cupcakes for last five minutes of baking

Japanese Curry Chicken Dumplings

Finally, we’ve got filling #6! This one was really cool, and it definitely had a strong flavor! It was definitely one of the more unique dumplings, and I thought it was so great and full of flavor! The curry flavor is so fun, but if you’d rather use your own curry recipe, definitely go for it! Remember the point of cooking and baking is so explore and figure out what tastes you like the most, so definitely don’t just copy what I have if you have other flavors you’d like to try. Enjoy yourself!

(makes 20-25 dumplings)

Ingredients:

·      3 tbsp unsalted butter

·      ¼ cup all-purpose flour

·      1.5 tsp yellow curry powder

·      1.5 tsp garam masala

·      1 tbsp ketchup

·      1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

·      ¼ tsp black pepper

·      4 oz fatty ground pork

·      4 oz ground chicken

·      ¼ cup peas

·      2 tbsp onion, minced

·      1 tsp fresh ginger, minced and peeled

·      ½ tsp salt

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, 1 tsp at a time, and whisk constantly until all dissolved and browned. Add the curry powder, masala, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Cook while constantly stirring for a minute, then add ½ cup water. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened (add water if it gets too thick). Transfer ¼ cup to a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Save the remaining sauce for serving. After the ¼ cup sauce has cooled, add the rest of the ingredients. Use your hands to mix and evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, or up to two days. Use this page to fold and cook your dumplings!

Kimchee Beef Dumplings

Filling #5-o’clock! These dumplings have such a fun flavor; the spicy-sour kimchi tastes amazing as a dumpling, and adding beef and other flavorings make this filling absolutely amazing! There’s just no way to describe it, so you’ve gotta try it! Have fun!

(makes 20-25 dumplings)

Ingredients:

·      ½ lb Napa cabbage, finely chopped

·      1 tbsp salt

·      ½ lb ground beef chuck

·      ½ cup onion, finely chopped

·      ¼ cup gochujang (Korean chili-bean paste)

·      2 tbsp finely chopped garlic

·       1 tbsp sugar

·      1.5 tsp sesame seeds

·      ½ tsp soy sauce

·      1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix the cabbage and salt in a colander and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the cabbage to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Use your hands to mix and evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for an hour, or up to two days. Use this page to fold and cook your dumplings!