Pineapple upside-down cake

Pineapple has never been my favourite fruit. In fact, it was the exotic stranger. The only thing that fascinated me about a pineapple was to look at a street vendor cutting the fruit, or shall I say shaping a pineapple sculpture. He'd first carefully cut all the hard and spiky skin off, then, tilted his knife to trace all the black dots, by doing so, a very artistic diagonal line starting from the bottom right to the top will be carved. One line and then another. Finally, a tough looking pineapple would be shaped as a juicy opal with beautiful even twirls along side. Yes, for me, pineapple has always been an object rather than fruit, until recently.

We just came back from a short visit to Paris. As part of the getting-to-know-your-future-home-city adventure, we also visited our old next door neighbour, who recently settled in the north seaside town of Samer, France. The family's 6-year-old girl used to play with our daughter when they were little cute beans. Reunion was amazing and what surprised me was my daughter suddenly fell in love with pineapple-the favourite fruit of her friend. Since then, she'd asked for pineapple on the breakfast fruit plate everyday.

So, you know, it's about time to switch my 'object' into 'my daughter's-new-favourite-fruit'.

I do enjoy shopping for ripe pineapples--they smell amazing! The explosive caramel-like smell reminds me of tropical salty sweet breezes in the Canary Islands. I definitely enjoy peeling and cutting them,too. I get flash backs;  the street vendors and their magical pineapple-shaping-art invoke childhood memories.

Once a pineapple enters my kitchen, you will see it almost everywhere. First day: freshly cut pineapple on breakfast fruit plate; The next day, left over pineapple cooked with pork stripes-GuLaoRou (the famous foreign fantasy on Chinese food--the sweet sour pork); Then, it comes the final valid date for pineapple-what to do? ..Voila, something sweet--the pineapple upside-down cake.

Upside-down cakes with fruit at the bottom, caramelised with brown sugar and butter is said to be invented almost 250 years ago in France-'Tarte Tatin', so it was called in French, which was named after Hotel Tatin, where the very first upside-down cake was accidentally invented by two sisters, who turned an almost burnt traditional apple pie into something more artistic and fun to eat (just turned the burnt top to the bottom...)

So, on the last day of the valid tasting date of the pineapple in our fridge, I should definitely honor it with a completely dazzling and somehow retro touch--making a Pineapple Upside-down cake.

Ingredients:

2 handful freshly sliced/chopped pineapple

150g butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour, sifted (wholemeal flour gives a very rustic and  more

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

    aromatic fragrance to the cake)

1/2 almond meal, sifted

1/2 cup plain flour, sifted

1/2 cup milk

For the caramel topping:

• 50g butter, sotened
• 75g brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.Grease a  22cm round cake pan. preferrably, line the base and
    side of the pan.

2. For the caramel topping, combine butter and sugar together until light in color, pour into the cake pan.

3. Add pineapple to the caramel. In an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until

    smooth and light in color. Add 1 egg first, beat until combined, then add the other

    egg,  beat again until well combined. Now add flours, then milk. a quick stir and

    combined.

4. Pour cake mixture over pineapple.Smooth top with a wooden spoon.

5. Bake for 40-50 minutes  or until cooked 

6. Leave in pan for about 8 minutes. Turn upside-down (Hence, the name) on a cake rack.
    Serve warm.

'The Peach Blossom Spring' and One-Pot-Cooking in Our Country Kitchen

 

Considered one of the greatest poets between the Han and Tang Dynasties, Tao Yuanming (365-427) is regarded as one of the most reclusive. In his poems the theme of a peaceful and awakening countryside solitude resonate with many who's hearts long for faraway places.

In his well known poem-Drinking Wine, he wrote:

I made my home amidst this human bustle,
Yet I hear no clamour from the carts and horses.
My friend, you ask me how this can be so?
A distant heart will tend towards like places.
From the eastern hedge, I pluck chrysanthemum flowers,
And idly look towards the southern hills.
The mountain air is beautiful day and night,
The birds fly back to roost with one another.
I know that this must have some deeper meaning,
I try to explain, but cannot find the words.

 

'A distant heart' that is away from the heavy daily routines, must have awakened the urge to move to country, to enjoy the most simple life, to take up a cultivated and relaxing life of songs, paintings and wine as vividly described in Tao's remarkable poem-'The Peach Blossom Spring', a Chinese standard term for Utopia.

Returning home to the country,the promised land has been a life pursuing dream for many. However, over time it seems that ancient dreams of escaping to the country for solitude and seeking refuge from society has changed. In my parents generation, this Chinese utopian country picture had its first encounter with more colourful and romantic rural vignettes from the Eastern Bloc.  Inspired by bucolllic scenes portrayed in popular Russian literature of that time, young Chinese people visits to the country into a search for more romantic settings for socialising and rejuvinating.

Since I was a very young child, nothing has given me greater pleasure than to share our table with friends and family. Yet, the triumph of all joy was to have a 'floating feast' with my parents' friends in the country side. We'd get up early, prepare our picnic boxes and ride our bicycles to a meeting place. Then, came the fun bit, we'd ride towards the countryside! Little kids about my age would be carried by their dads, sitting on the top tube of the bicycle, so proud and excited, waving hands to one another. Going to the countryside, having food, entertaining and conversation, in a fantastic place off the beaten path, the path less travelled, with unspoiled wilderness and beauty, at that time was like experiencing 'the Peach Spring beyond this world', descrided in Tao Yuanming's poetry.

 

A memory that has stuck in me is watching my parents and their friends making fires from scratch by using dried leaves and little wood chips. And then, emerging from the mystic smoke and warmth from the camp fire, came many simple but absolutely divine dishes.

 

Many years have since passed,but we finally found another 'Peach Blossom Spring beyond the World'--a lovely little holding in the down under, a pearl in the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. We travel to the country every weekend, and each week we set ourselves some little projects around the house to finish.

Simple yet colourful, humble but filled with love, our little country house thrives in the splendid coastal sunshine.

At this moment, we have: a little round table (that we use as a dining table and wondering in the future might be perfect for our library), three chairs (two of them are a pair, we bought from local carpenter:Gino, he simply knows everything related to wood, furniture, and much beyond. He says he has a 'chair fetish'),some enamel cups and plates that can survive the driving and moving towards the country, and finally one cast iron pot. Yes, our country life has been evolving from all these basics and yet, so much fun and laughter!

Now, I'd like to share with you our simple-country-one-pot-cooking dishes. For those we are dreaming towards a less travelled and enchanted country life, yet avoiding the hassle of carrying too much to the country kitchen. Here are some tips to turn the one pot into a magic pot.

Dish 1: Stir Fry Hokkien Noddle with Vegetables and Tofu

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Hokkien Noddle
• 1 bunch of Pak Choy
• 5-6 Cherry tomatoes
• 5-6 mushroom
• a handful of cooked Tofu (preferably soy honey flavour)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 hunch of green onion
• 3-4 red chilli
• 2 table spoons of canola oil
• 2 table spoon of soy sauce
• 1 1/2 table spoon of Teriyaki sauce

Method:

1. Soak noodles in boiled water for 3 min. Then, drain and leave aside;
2. Heat the cast iron pot, a little cooking oil and then, put chopped garlic, green onion and chilli flakes in, stir until fragrance arise;
3. Add coarsely chopped cherry tomotos in, fry until tender then add sliced mushroom, stir for a minute then add Tofu;stir to combine the flavour, then add soy sauce and teriyaki sauce;
4. Stir to combine, then add the noodle, add extra soy sauce on top of the noodle for my liking;
5. Turn stove to high, allow sauce to be reduce a bit, then, ready to serve.
6. Extra chilli flakes on top for decoration!

Dish 2:Angel Hair Pasta with Pancetta, kalamata olive and Prawns

Ingredients:

• angel hair pasta
• cooked and peeled tiger prawn (300g)
• kalamata olive (unpitted, a handful)
• pancetta (can be replaced with bacon, 200g)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
   

Method:

1. Cook pasta, drain and set aside
2. Add olive oil in heated cast iron pot, sautee onion, until golden and tender, add pancetta, then garlic, stir to combine;
3. Add prawn and season with salt and pepper, add cooked pasta in, drizzle extra olive oil to top. Ready~!

 

 

Country Brekkie: from Paddock to Table

 

The best way to enjoy a breakfast of freshly picked figs from our gorgeous fig tree in the garden is to add some savoury flavours.

Crisply toast some slices of bread, spread on top some smokey pickled onion cheese, then, simply add some fig on top~~~a beautiful dance on the pallet of your tongue!

We are new comers to the country, so much to explore, so much to learn. We've learnt one thing: be creative and have fun with what you find lying around!

 

Heralds of Spring: Chinese Chive Pie with Prawn and Egg

There are many poems regarding food in SHI JING: The Classic of Poetry, translated also as The Book of Songs or The book of Odes, or just'The Odes', is the earliest existing collection of Chinese poems and songs. It is comprised of 305 poems and songs, with many dating from the 10th to the 7th century BC,Chinese chive was first documented in "The Odes-July", a very ancient vernacular poem from 11-10 century BC. 

Classic works such as SHI JING helped develop Chinese food culture.Accordingly, a real Chinese gourmand enjoys seasonal food and is happiest savouring Chinese chive right at the beginning of spring. After a long winter, the first cut of Chinese chive tastes sweet and juicy. Although Chinese chive can cut-and-grow back again almost 20 times, the most beautiful and fresh taste is still the first cut.

I remember when I was a child, every spring, my mum would bring the first cut Chinese chive back home. That day for me is the beginning of spring. I still remember her passionate teaching at the kitchen top, 'look, can you see the gentle purple colour at the end of the roots? See, how beautiful the top bit has shaped, just like an arrow. Remember, purple boots and arrow top--they make the most beautiful flavour'. Then, I would grab my little stool and help mum in the kitchen. One of my favourite things was to roll the many divided doughs into  flat sheets and pass them to my mum. Then, it was her turn to magically put all kinds of yummy fillings in the sheet and mould them into the miraculous shapes of dumplings, buns or pies. 

It is getting easier to find this green vegetable in many Asian grocers nowadays. Some veggie markets put it in the herb section. We Chinese call it JIU CAI (try to pronounce JIU as Juice without the 'ce', and the sound of CAI is very similar to the German camera brand Zeiss, pronounce it without the 'ss').

JIU CAI known as Chinese chive, garlic chives ('nira' in Japanese)in the west. It is a vegetable with distinctive fragrance, commonly seen in Chinese kitchens. Either fried with fresh-water snail (shelled), with tender pork meat, or simply chopped into slices and mixed with eggs to make a very distinctive Chinese chive omelet. However, the most common way to enjoy its fragrance is to make fillings for dumplings (boiled, fried, steamed), steamed buns as well as in Chinese pies. The best filling combination is with fresh prawn (peeled),dried prawn,scrambled eggs and ginger.

Despite the endless variety our family's all-time-favourite is Chinese chive, prawn and egg pie. Here is our recipe!

Ingredients

For the dough

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 1 cup of hot water
• 0.5 cup of cold water
• pinch of salt

For the filling

• 2 bunch of Chinese chive (around 400g),slice along way into 4-5mm in length
• 3 eggs, blend together and make scrambled egg, use fork to break bigger pieces into much smaller size (say, like 1/4 of the size of a 5 dollar cent);
• 300g fresh peeled prawn meat. preferably Thai White Prawn 
• a handful of dried prawn (can find in Asian grocers)
• some ginger, chopped into tiny pieces
• 1.5 tbs oyster sauce
• 2 tbs sesame oil
• salt to season 

Method

To make the dough:


1. Add flour in a big mixing bowl, add pinch of salt, add hot water and then cold water to combine;


2.Combine flour and water. The dough should be a consistency in between runny and a firm ball shape- Not too firm!


3.Do not be too concerned about the slightly wet and sticky dough. This consistency will make perfect soft and thin sheets for the pie later.


4.Cover and let dough rest for at least 1 hr.


To make the filling:


1.Make sure you follow the steps sequentially, it will bring the best flavour out of the amazing mix!

2.Add Chinese chive into a big bowl, then immediately add in sesames oil, mix lightly, make sure the chive is coated evenly with sesames oil; add prawn, ginger, dry prawn and lastly the egg. Mix lightly. Then, add oyster sauce and salt, mix again.

To make the pie:

 

1. Leave the dough inside the container, because it is a bit sticky to work with the dough as a whole and it is better to keep the moist inside the container.


2. Divide into small balls, which will be kneaded and then rolled into flat sheet. The thinner the sheet the better(2mm). sometimes it is a bit tricky to roll, because the dough itself is quite soft and sticky, just apply flour to work with the soft dough.

3. The rolled up sheet now is ready to wrap the fillings in. Use a table spoon to add the fillings into the sheet, 2 table spoons of fillings is sufficient.

4. Then, make the pie into a HUGE dumpling shape and later, work on the beautiful patterns around the edge.

5. Voila! the pies are now ready to be fried. Brush some canola oil on top of each pie to prevent drying out. Heat up a heavy-based frying pan (I use a special Chinese electric cooker called DIAN BING CHENG, it makes the frying process quite easy). add some oil, then put the pies in.

6. Medium heat, when the bottom of the pie is light golden, add a bit of water, and cover the lid, when the water is completely absorbed,flip and fry the other side, until golden and crispy.

7. Serve with Chinese Rice vinegar and green wasabi. Yummy~!

Now that you are enjoying the home-made Chinese chive pie, let me tell you some interesting secret of JIU CAI. It is considered VERY good for strenghthening 'manhood'-perhaps this is another reason why it is a Spring time favorite!

 

Rhubarb and yellow peach cobbler: the sweet sour taste of life

Rhubarb might be one of THE most exotic ingredients for the Chinese. For thousands of years, rhubarb,known as 'Da-Huang (literally BIG YELLOW)' has been applied in traditional Chinese medicine, the root of rhubarb was used to cure constipation.

The world-first-medical book was written by the mythical Shen Nong, which is called The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic. however mythical the author was,it must have been beyond his imagination to connect Da-Huang with many delicious desserts that make westerners mouths water.

Rhubarb apple crumble, rhubarb strawberry tart, rhubarb pie--there are many recipes one can choose from to savour that retro, homey and sweet sour taste their grandmother used to cook for them for the weekends.

Our little farm has abundant harvest of rhubarb. Unlike what we normally see from the markets, our rhubarb has a very fresh greeny look.

Being Chinese, I too am 'green' when it comes to cooking rhubarb. 

Here is my recipe:-)