Peach Tarts

I have tons of peaches from my recent Peach Picking trip with Diana. Besides eating it fresh I have to find ways to finish it up quick as they are getting over ripe and they don’t keep well in the fridge. I gave some to my neighbor Nancy and also some to Diana’s friend and I still have quite a bit of it.

Who can pass an easy to prepare dessert using the fresh peaches and store bought puff pastry? All you need is just a few other ingredients that you can find in your pantry. There is no fuss, no rolling out pastry here. If you don’t have peaches you can use other type of fresh fruits like apples, pears, plumps or mix berries. You can eat the tart as it is or smothered it with vanilla ice cream. Heaven!!

Ingredients:

1 box of puff pastry – 2 sheets
4 fresh peaches
3 tbsp of sugar – more if you like it sweeter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp of apricot jam + 2 tbsp of hot water (for glazing)

1. Thaw the puff pastry for about 30 minutes. Peel and pit the peaches. Slice them into wedges. Toss it lightly with sugar and cinnamon powder and set it aside.
2. Line the baking sheet with some parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F.
3. Cut the puff pastry sheet into third and then half. Lay it out on a baking sheet. Arrange the peach slices on the puff pastry. Bake for 20 minutes or it puff up and golden brown.
4. Take it out of the oven and brush the top with some apricot jam. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

Note : If you can't find fresh peaches you can replace it with can peaches.

Mini Apple Cakes

I just love cute little cakes. Cakes in miniature size can make a person feel special. It's like you're getting a whole cake to yourself. Diana got me these fancy little paper cups from Japan and I thought I should use it for these cakes.

Ingredients:

185 grm butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (80ml) milk
2 apples (any kind, I used granny smith)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare some paper cups of 8 mini cake pans. Grease 8 mini loaf pans (greased with some butter) Peel and coarsely grate the apple. Mix it with the lemon juice to prevent it from turning brown.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time until well combined.
3. Fold in the flours, cinnamon and milk until well combined.
4. Fold in the apples. Divide batter among the cups or pans. Smooth the surface. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave in pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Oven Baked Chicken Wings

Chicken wings have become so popular that they are serving it at a lot of restaurant but I am not a fan of their wings. I find them too hard and too dry for my taste. I like my wings to have crispy skin, fall off the bone, and finger licking good. These easy wings are crispy without being fried. What is great about this dish is that you can serve them hot or cold. It works great wheather you are having a Super Bowl Party or just a something delicious to snack on. They only take 10 minutes to prepared and let it marinate for an hour or two and pop it in the oven. For this recipe you can add more cayenne pepper or sugar if you like it spicier and sweeter.

Ingredients:

10 – 12 chicken wings
3 tbsp of soy sauce
½ tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash and clean the chicken wings to make sure there are no stray feathers. Cut wings into portions through the joints, discarding wingtips (I left wingtips on).
2. Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Add wings and coat in mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Cover a baking dish with aluminum foil. Drizzle it with some olive oil. Spread wings over the base, brush liberally with marinade. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking. Serve warm or at room temperature

Kuih Koci/Glutinous Rice Cake with Coconut Filling

Here is another favorite kuih in Malaysia. Kuih Koci is steamed glutinous rice flour filled with sweet grated coconut or sweet peanut paste, wrapped in banana leaf, the shape is like a pyramid or cone, is a delicious and a classic Malaysian dessert that is suitable for breakfast or tea time snacks. Usually, the color of Kuih Koci is either white or green.

Definations of Kuih

Ingredients:

300 grm glutinous rice flour
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp of pandan paste – if you like it green
1 cup of coconut milk – you might need more or less
About 16 pieces of 6”x 8” banana leaves - blanch in hot water, wipe dry and grease with oil

Ingredients for Filling :

300 grm of fresh grated coconut
130 grm of palm sugar (gula Melaka) or brown sugar – cut into chunks
4 tbsp of water
2 tsp of cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water

1. To make the filling cook the palm sugar and water until sugar dissolved. Add in the grated coconut, stir and cook until almost dry, then add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until the mixture thickens. Set it aside to cool.
2. To make the dough, put the glutinous rice flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly add in the coconut milk; knead well until it forms into smooth dough. If you like the dough to be green adds in the pandan paste. Continue to knead until the color blend into the dough.
3. To make the kuih, pinch a small piece of dough (size depend on how big you want), roll it into a smooth ball and then flatten the dough. Add 1 tbsp of filling in the center of the dough. Gather up the edges to seal the filling inside.
4. Fold a piece of banana leaf into cone shape, oiled side inside. Place the filled dough ball in it, pushing gently to fill the tip of the cone as much as possible. Fold the edges over the base to close (you may secure it with a toothpick) Repeat the same to the rest of the dough.
5. Arrange the cone on a steamer tray and steam for 15 minutes in a slow boiling water.
6. Remove from steamer and allows to cool before serving.

Note: The steamer heat should not be too high. If not the kuih might burst out of the cone.

I am submitting this recipe for Merdeka Open House 2009 - MY SWEET MALAYSIA hosted by Babe in the City - KL. This is a great way to introduce Authentic and Traditional Malaysian sweet dessert to the world. Happy 52nd Birthday Day, Malaysia. Do check out Babe in the City - KL blog on 31st August 2009 for the round up.