Almond cream filled puff pastry

Galette des Rois/Pithiviers

almond cream filled puff pastry

to make 20cm across galette:

220-250g puff pastry (homemade/store bought)

Filling:don’t forget the bean

1)almond cream:

50g sugar

50g ground almond

25g soft butter

1/2 egg

mixall together. keep in fridge

2)rhum flavored pastry cream:

1/2 egg

1 Tbl sugar or a bit more to taste

30g flour or 20g starch

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbl rhum

vanilla

mix sugar, egg, flour together until smooth

boil the milk and pour over, whisking always until smooth. put the half-cooked cream back into the pan and cook over medium heat until the firstbubles break through the cream surface. cool and refrigerate

mix 2 cooled creams together and leave to firm up in the freezer (not frozen but quite firm, solid)

ASSEMBLING, BAKING

roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle 45-47×22-24cm:large enough to cut out 1 bottom round of 20cm across and 1 topround of 21-21.5cm across.

brush some water over the surface of the bottom round

spoon the filling to cover the bottom round, leaving about 2cm large rim. set a bean somewhere in the filling.

gently lay the top round over, matching both rims together.

seal well all around with fingers or fork

using sharp knife, make a small safetyhole on top of thegalette,make designs.

refrigerate for 30 minutes

bake in 375Fpreheated oven until puffed and lightly brown, glaze with diluted corn syrup and continue baking at 350F, until brown

Cha Bo – Vietnamese Beef Kabobs Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound of minced beef

1 tablespoon of lemon grass (chopped)

2 teaspoon of red or green chili (finely chopped)

1.5 tablespoon of fish sauce

3 tablespoons of roasted peanuts (grounded)

2 tablespoons of onion or shallot (finely chopped)

1.5 tablespoons of coconut cream

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of palm sugar

History and Culture of the Food of Viet Nam

Vietnamese food recipes are popular for use of soy sauce, fish sauce, fresh herbs, rice, vegetables and fruits. Vietnamese food recipes include a diverse range of natural herbs viz. mint, lemongrass, long coriander, basil leaves and Vietnamese mint. The Vietnamese cuisine lays emphasis on fresh vegetables or herbs essentially as side dishes accompanied with dipping sauce. Influenced by Buddhist ideologies the Vietnamese food recipes include a number of vegetarian dishes. Pork, chicken, cockles, chicken and seafood comprise the non-vegetarian cuisine of Vietnam. Beef is not very popular except for the famous Bo 7 Mon and phở. Goat and duck are also not very popular among the Vietnamese food recipes.

Categories of Vietnamese food recipes:

The Vietnamese food recipe is different in different regions. Since the Vietnamese civilization originated from northern Viet nam, the Vietnamese food recipes are highly influenced by the recipes that are used here and it gave birth to some of the most popular dishes of the authentic Vietnamese food recipes like phở (or Pho) and bánh cuốn. The cuisine here is very traditional and strict regarding the choice of spices and ingredients.

The food recipe of southern Vietnam is influenced by the immigrants of southern China and French colonists. The people here are fond of sweet flavors in various dishes. As a more diversified region, use of a variety of herbs in food recipes is also quite popular.

The food recipes of central Vietnam is different from that of other parts of Vietnam and the cuisines here are comparatively spicier than its other counterparts.

Exotic meats like soft-shell turtle, snake, domestic goat and deer are enjoyed exclusively throughout Vietnam whereas alcoholic beverages are not an everyday fare. Hột vịt lộn, a fertilized duck egg with an almost developed embryo is boiled and enjoyed eating in the shell. It is an important part of the Vietnamese food recipes and is served generally with fresh herbs.

The typical Vietnamese meal: – The meal for most of the Vietnamese family includes: -

• Individual bowls of rice

• Boiled, grilled, steamed and fried meat or fish or some seafood dish

• Stir-fried steamed or raw vegetable dish

• Vietnamese style soup

• Prepared soy sauce and fish sauce for dipping purpose.

Popularity of Vietnamese food recipes: – Outside Vietnam, the Vietnamese cuisine is very popular in countries like the United States, Australia, France and Canada which are strongly infiltrated with the Vietnamese communities. The Vietnamese food recipes are also quite popular and enjoyed in Korea, Japan, Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, Germany and places densely populated by the Asians. Dishes responsible for the popularity of Vietnamese food recipes are gỏi cuốn i.e. summer/spring rolls, phở, bánh mì i.e. bread rolls and bún.

A major reason that makes Vietnamese food recipes popular is the Vietnamese soup customs. Soup is served for breakfast which includes bowls full of steaming noodle with soup and ingredients like beans, sprouts; lime slices and basil are also added. Phó which means “your own bowl” is a popular restaurant in the U.S and has customers lined up at its doors wanting to feast on the Vietnamese soup. Sauce is spiced up with plenty of chilli-garlic sauce or fish sauce before it is served. You’ll also find in our collection here a great recipe for Vietnamese chicken on vermicelli.

Pomelo, glass noodle and crab salad

This dish has a zesty flavour hit.

Method

To make the dressing, combine chillies, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar in a small bowl and stir well. Place vermicelli in a bowl, cover with boiling water, stir and set aside for three to four minutes or until just soft, drain and refresh in iced water, then drain again. Combine vermicelli, pomelo, watercress and crabmeat in a large bowl and pour dressing over. Toss gently and scatter with coriander and mint leaves. Pile onto serving plates, top with fried onions and serve with lime wedges.

• 4 cups watercress sprigs
• 400g cooked crabmeat
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• ½ cup mint leaves
• 2 tbsp fried onions (sold at Asian food stores)
• Lime wedges, to serve
• 1-2 small red chillies, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 6 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 200g mung bean vermicelli
• 1 small pomelo, peeled and seeded, segments broken into pieces

Cucumber and prawn salad with chilli and lime dressing

crisp, delicious salad with a bit of zing.

Method

Cook vermicelli in boiling water for three to four minutes. Drain and set aside. For salad, combine all remaining ingredients, except peanuts, in a medium bowl and add vermicelli. For dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Pour dressing over salad, toss gently and divide between four plates. Top with roasted peanuts.

• 100g rice vermicelli
• 3 unpeeled lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways and sliced diagonally
• 2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 24 large cooked king prawns, shelled and deveined
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• Dressing
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2-3 large red chillies (or to taste), finely sliced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Squid salad

It is important to slice the lime leaves and lemongrass as finely as possible. Use a very sharp knife and take your time.

Method

Cook the squid in boiling, salted water until just cooked through – about one or two minutes depending on the thickness. Drain and reserve. Mix together lime juice, fish sauce and sugar to make the dressing. Toss remaining ingredients in a bowl with the squid. Dress and serve.

• 200g squid, cleaned, scored and cut into 2cm strips
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1 small spanish onion, finely sliced
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced
• 1 cup coriander leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
• 200g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 small carrot, peeled into thin strips

Vietnamese chicken salad

The essential flavourings of Vietnamese nuoc cham relish are called upon in this light salad, which is easy to prepare and pack into plastic containers for a fork or chopstick picnic meal.

Method

Poach the chicken in simmering salted water for 20 minutes, then drain and leave to cool (or use left-over cooked chicken). Cut the carrot into 10cm sections, finely slice lengthwise then cut into matchsticks. Mix the vinegar or lime juice with the sugar, garlic, salt and pepper, toss with the sliced shallots and carrot and set aside for 10 mins.

Roughly shred the chicken. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and finely slice. Combine the chicken, cucumber, sesame oil, fish sauce, mint and chilli with the shallots, carrots and their dressing, and toss lightly.

To serve

Roughly crush the peanuts and scatter over the top. Serve with lime wedges.

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Sea salt and pepper
• 3 shallots, finely sliced
• Half a cucumber, peeled
• Dash of sesame or vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 3 tbsp mint or coriander leaves
• 1/2 mild red chilli, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
• 1 lime, quartered

Vietnamese beef and noodle salad

The warmer weather is perfectly suited to eating Vietnamese and Thai salads – tangy, fiery and pungent, and packed with fresh herbs. I love the contrast of soft and crunchy; slippery rice noodles with crisp cucumber, firm peanuts and chips of chilli.

Method

Marinate the beef in the hoi sin for 2 hours. Soak the noodles in hot water until soft. Drain, rinse in cold water and cut into manageable lengths (about 10cm). Combine the herbs, cucumber, chilli and noodles in a bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients and adjust to taste. It should taste sweet, salty and tangy all at once.

Grill the beef to medium rare and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly and add to the salad. Toss everything together and serve on plates sprinkled with the roasted peanuts and fried shallots.

For the salad

• 350g porterhouse or fillet of beef
• 4 tbsp hoi sin sauce
• 200g mung-bean thread (also called glass) noodles
• 1 cup each of mint, Thai basil and coriander leaves
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 long red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
• 4 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp fried shallots

For the dressing

• 3-4 tbsp grated palm sugar
• juice of 2 limes
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 stick of lemon grass, white part, finely sliced

Vietnamese Pho soup with brisket and noodles

I love the clean, earthy flavours of a Pho soup and that sweet and sour tang you get from the fish sauce and lime juice. This is a very simple soup and, if you wish, you can add fresh coriander, Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts and sliced chilli for a bit more flavour and texture. Either fresh or dry rice noodles work well.

Method

Rinse brisket and chicken bones in cold water. Put them together in a large pot and fill with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil, skim the scum that rises to the surface and reduce heat to a steady simmer.

Put the oil and sliced onions together in a wok or frying pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or so until golden brown. This will give the broth a beautiful brown colour and rich flavour, but be careful not to overcook, which would make it bitter.

Drain the onions, discarding the oil, and spread them out on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

Now add to the stock the onions, salt, the dark green ends of the spring onions (reserve the white parts for later), the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, star anise and coriander seeds. Simmer for about 2 hours or until the brisket is very tender. Remove the brisket to a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Strain the soup into a clean saucepan and discard the rest of the ingredients. Flake the brisket back into the pot of broth, discarding any fatty pieces. Now season the pho soup to your liking with the fish sauce and sugar.

Cook the rice noodles in a pot of boiling salted water until tender and drain.

To serve

Divide the noodles into individual bowls (If using fresh noodles, heat briefly in the microwave or steamer.) Pour over the soup, slice the remaining white parts of the spring onions and sprinkle over the soup. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice.

• 750g brisket
• 500g chicken bones
• 250ml vegetable oil
• 2 red onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 spring onions
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly sliced
• 2 knobs ginger, sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 star anise
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp grated palm sugar (if unavailable use 1/2 tbsp ordinary sugar)
• 1 packet rice noodles
• juice of 1 lime or lemon

Fragrant chicken and rice noodle soup

A whole chicken provides both the fragrant stock and the meat for this light, fresh-tasting soup, based on the famed Vietnamese “pho”.

Method

Rinse the chicken, place in a large pot with enough cold water to cover and bring to the boil, skimming.

Add the onions, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, sugar and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, remove chicken, carve off breasts and set aside. Return the chicken to the broth and simmer for a further 30 mins.

Strain the broth and finely slice the chicken breast and leg meat. Gently reheat the broth with the fish sauce, and 2 tbsp fried shallots.

Cover the noodles with hot water, gently separate using chopsticks, and drain.

Divide the noodles between four deep, warmed soup bowls.

Arrange the chicken meat on top, ladle the hot broth into each bowl, and scatter with remaining fried shallots, spring onions, bean shoots, chilli, mint, basil and coriander. Guests squeeze lime wedges into broth to taste.

How to joint a chicken

First, cut around the leg, pulling it away from the body until you can cut the through the socket. To separate thigh from drumstick, bend the two to crack the joint, then cut them apart. Next, use poultry shears or a large knife to cut along the breastbone. Turn skin-side down and cut out the backbone and ribs. Remove the wings from the breast by cutting through the joint. Use the bones for stock.

• 1 good chicken, 1.6kg
• 2 white onions, finely sliced
• 5cm knob ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 cardamom pods, crushed
• 3 star anise
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
• 4 tbsp crisp-fried shallots
• 300g fresh rice noodles
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 200g bean shoots, rinsed
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• Small bunch each of Vietnamese mint, Asian basil and coriander
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Vietnamese-style coconut crepes

I adore these crepes – the recipe is an old favourite from my days at Wockpool. They are delicate and a little sweet, which makes a good contrast to the freshness of the filling. Originally this recipe used mung bean flour but I have substituted that for chickpea flour as it is easier to find.

For the crepes

Whisk the eggs with the coconut milk and the remaining ingredients until you have a smooth batter.

Let it stand for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

For the filling

Combine all the ingredients and set aside while you cook the crepes.

To assemble

Heat a non-stick frying pan, add a little peanut (or olive oil) and just enough batter to thinly coat the base.

As soon as the crepe is set, add a good handful of the filling to one side.

Once the crepe has turned golden underneath, fold in half and slide onto a plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

To serve

Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Crepes:

• 2 eggs
• 1½ cups coconut milk
• ½ cup chickpea flour
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup water
• peanut oil for frying
• sweet chilli sauce for serving

Filling:

• 2 packets snow pea shoots
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• half a bunch mint leaves, picked
• 1 cucumber, finely sliced
• 200g BBQ’d pork, sliced (available from Chinese food stores)
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Vietnamese stuffed squid

South-East Asia doesn’t do the heavy food found in colder regions to the north, which makes it the perfect place to source some lighter spring recipes. Fresh herbs, citrus flavours, light broths and fast cooking techniques bring a sense of bright delicacy and grace to these dishes.

Method

Cover noodles with boiling water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain and roughly chop. Soak mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain and mince, discarding stalks.

Finely chop 2 tablespoons mint. Mix chicken with prawns, one-third of the noodles, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, coriander, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, chopped mint leaves, salt and pepper, until well combined. Stuff each squid body full and close the end with strong toothpicks.

Heat oil and fry squid over gentle heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until filling is cooked through and squid is golden.

Prick with a skewer to release any excess water. Whisk remaining fish sauce and sugar with lime juice, remaining whole mint leaves and chilli. Toss remaining noodles in the dressing.

Thickly slice the squid and serve on top.

• 60g glass noodles (mung-bean vermicelli)
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 4 tbsp mint leaves
• 350g minced chicken or pork
• 4 prawns, minced
• 2 shallots, finely grated
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
• 3 tsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 4 cleaned squid bodies, about
• 12cm long
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 mild red chilli, finely sliced