Savory Shortbread

 top this shortbread with smoked salmon and caviar

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Yields: 12 dozen

Oven Temp: 350

• 2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper
• 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2 cup(s) grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup(s) milk
• 1 tablespoon(s) Worcestershire sauce

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Directions

1. To the bowl of a food processor, add flour and cayenne pepper; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. Add cheese to the food processor; pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3. Using a fork, stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Have ready several pieces of parchment paper.
4. Form mixture into two 1-inch-diameter logs, and wrap in parchment. Transfer the logs to the refrigerator, and chill until very firm, at least 1 hour.
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from refrigerator, and cut each one into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds on prepared baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
6. Bake the shortbread until golden, about 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets between shelves halfway through baking.
7. Transfer shortbread to wire racks to cool. Bake remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Savoury rosemary and Asiago shortbread

Ingredients
Serves: 24 

• 125g (4 oz) butter, softened
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 250g (8 oz) plain flour
• 60g (2 oz) freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp dried or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

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Method
Prep:15min  ›  Cook:15min  ›  Ready in:30min 

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Lightly grease 2 large baking trays.
2. Beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cheese, rosemary and paprika; add to butter mixture. With hands, mix to form dough.
4. Divide dough into three even pieces. On a lightly floured surface, slightly flatten each piece of dough and roll into a 12-in (30 cm) rope - the same way you'd roll out a piece of plasticine.
5. Slice each rope into 16 (1.8mm) even slices. Place on a baking tray.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely. Can be stored for several days in an airtight container.

Savory Madeleines

can be flavored with many varieties of herbs, seasonings, and cheeses. Some options are Gruyere cheese, fresh rosemary, and cayenne pepper.

Yields: 220 mini madeleines

Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients

U.S.

Metric

Conversion chart

• 8 tablespoon(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pans
• 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup(s) cornmeal
• 1/4 cup(s) sugar
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cup(s) whole milk
• 3 1/2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 cup(s) finely chopped pitted olives
• 1/4 cup(s) finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, combined with above

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter mini madeleine pans.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in eggs, milk, and browned butter until smooth. Divide batter among 3 bowls. To create 3 different flavors, fold 1 filling into each bowl of batter (sage, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes). Divide batter among pans, filling cups 3/4 full.
4. Bake until golden brown and firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately unmold, and let cool completely on wire racks.

stilton and cheddar cheese biscuits

Ingredients
Makes: 25 biscuits

• 170g (6oz) plain flour
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder
• 85g (3oz) unsalted butter
• 56g (2oz) Stilton cheese
• 56g (2oz) Cheddar cheese
• 1 egg

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Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:10min  ›  Extra time:1hr chilling  ›  Ready in:1hr40min 

1. Place flour and mustard powder in a food processor. Then add the butter and process until its like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the two types of cheese and then the egg and mix until it comes together.
3. Leave to chill in a fridge for about an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4.
5. Roll out on a floured board and cut into shapes using a pastry cutter. Place on a baking tray.
6. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

Cheese & Chive Biscuits

 

Print

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1¾ ounces grated parmesan (3/4 cup)
• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, in ½" chunks
• 1 bunch chives, finely sliced
• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, plus 3 more ounces for sprinkling (about 1 cup total)
• ¾ cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add the parmesan and butter, and work with your fingertips until the butter is incorporated with lots of butter chunks remaining.
2. Stir in the chives and crumble in 3 ounces of the goat cheese.
3. Add the buttermilk little by little, stirring until the dough just begins to clump together and no dry, floury bits remain. Gently knead the dough in the bowl a few times to bring the dough together into a ball.
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that is a scant ½" thick and roughly twice as wide as it is tall. Crumble ⅔ of the remaining goat cheese over the center square of the dough then fold the dough in half, like closing a book. You should have a long rectangle of dough layered with cheese. Press down gently to flatten, then roll the rectangle into a loose spiral, starting with a skinny end.
5. Roll the layered dough into a 7x7" square that is ¾" thick, then cut the dough into 16 squares.
6. Bake at 450 degrees until the biscuits are golden on top, about 15 mi

savory Calzone recipe- 2-3 hours of proofing in warm asian climate

for one loaf
serves as appetizer for 5
1 and a half cup milk or water or preferably buttermilk or a mix of any of the two or all three
1/2 tsp dry garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning/oregano/any seasoning mix
2 generous tsp yeast + 1 1/2 tsp sugar + a little bit of slightly warm water, just enough to soak the yeast sugar mix
3 cups breadflour or any non-coarse meal you have at hand
1 tsp salt, kept away from the yeast mix till the yeast starts blooming
1 tsp or more powdered milk


knead a dough out of the ingredients above, slowly adding the liquid as you mix.
you can work the dough using your hands or in a mixer
when it's soft and the surface is smooth cover and leave to proof until doubled.

start preparing the filling from then o.
you need:
200gms cheddar, or any other strong cheese you like, to taste. grate 50 grams separately for topping
50-100 grams mozzarella, depending on how sticky/gooey you like the filling
a cup of cut broccoli
1 1/2 cup corn
3/4 cup capsicum
1/4 cup cut bell peppers
1 cup cut french beans/mushrooms/spring onions
add subtract any vegetable you like
6 hot green chillies if you're Asian, else 3 would do
5 cloves of garlic
2/3 cup ricotta if you'd like the filling creamy
1 tbsp corn/gram meal if the filling appears runny. increase/decrease the meal accordingly
1 flat tsp salt if you're using salty cheddar, if you're using some other cheese, add the salt accordingly
2 tsp oregano/italian seasoning/ pizza seasoning/ garlic flakes, any you please or a bit of each
1/4 cup fresh basil or coriander
1/2 garlic powder
do use 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 2 tbsp ghee/ oil + 3 tbsp ghee. ghee gives a nice smell and taste



pulse/chop the greenchillies and the garlic, sautee on high heat in the 2 tbsp ghee till they give off aroma and the chilli bits develop a bright green color. take out half in the 3 tbsp ghee and keep aside.
to the other half add the beans and broccoli first, if your using them. stir quickly. add the spring onions, turn on the chimney on high
add mushrooms, then corn add the salt. save the capsicum for the last. add it in, all on high heat. stir and stir. turn off the stove. add the cheeses, the coriander, garlic powder, the black pepper, seasonings, and any other thing you feel you'd like in the bread. leave to cool







picture courtesy: eatliverun.com
knead again and roll out 16''x10'' on a 16''x10'' parchment paper, that way the yeasty dough is easier to handle. cut the sides of the bread 1 1/2 inch apart. evenly but with a slight tilt. don't make long gashes as shown in the picture or else the bread will have a breadier top than the bottom and the filling might not hold if its not too cheesy. make equal number of cuts on both the sides.
add the filling to the center of the rolled out dough, as shown in the picture. save some of the filling.
criss-cross the cuts from the opposite sides, covering the filling.
fill in the left-over filling the braid you see in the last picture. it gives the bread better presentation. don't add the garnish cheese bits just now
 carefully transfer the parchment paper on to a sturdy tray that fits into your oven. leave to proof until it doubles. it'll rise some more in the oven.
turn on the oven to 175 degree C
once the oven is hot, toss the tray onto the middle rack.
after about 20 minutes take the bread out and add the grated cheese to the top.
leave the bread inside for another 10-15 minutes.
once it is golden and looks full and done, take it and generously brush with the ghee garlic and chilli mix. the bread might be a bit hard when you take it out at first but it'll soften in some time

Buttermilk scones

• 3 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 60g butter, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• jam and whipped cream, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Grease and flour a 8cm-deep, 19cm (base) square cake pan.
2. Place flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre. Add buttermilk. Using a flat-bladed knife, stir until dough almost comes together. Place on a lightly floured surface.
4. Knead gently until dough comes together. Press out to a 3cm-thick round. Dip a 5cm round cutter into flour to prevent dough sticking. Cut out scones. Gently press leftover dough pieces together and repeat to make a total 16 scones.
5. Place scones, touching, in prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until light golden and hollow when tapped on top. Serve with jam and cream.

Vanilla Sables Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 10 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Egg wash:
• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons water

Preparation:

In a medium bowl mix the flour and baking powder and set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms.
Form the dough into a disk shape or 2-inch diameter log. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare the egg wash by beating together the egg white and 2 teaspoons of water.
Roll out the disk of dough to ¼-inch thickness, and cut out the sables using a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter. If using a log of cookie dough, slice it crosswise into ¼-inch thick coins. Brush the sables with the egg wash, and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned around the edges. Cool the sables for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
This vanilla sables recipe makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Pine Nut Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup almond paste
• 3/4 cup sugar $
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg white $
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, divided
• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. 2. Grate almond paste on large holes of a box grater. Combine paste and next 4 ingredients (through egg white) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
3. 3. Place 1/4 cup pine nuts in a mini food processor; pulse until finely ground. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine ground nuts, flour, and baking powder, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat on low speed just until combined.
4. 4. Stack two baking sheets one on top of the other, and line the top sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into 48 equal-sized balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Press 3 to 5 of the remaining pine nuts in a sunburst shape on top of each ball. Place 12 balls 2 inches apart on the top baking sheet (keep sheets stacked). Bake 14 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat procedure 4 times.