Black Sesame Seed Mochi

The other day when I was rolling out dough to make a loaf of bread.  Out of nowhere, my son asked me if I’m making Black Sesame Seed Mochi (he calls them “Gee-Mah”, means sesame in Chinese).  I guess rolling out dough for bread/buns reminds him the similar process in making Mochi!  Isn’t he smart?  :)  Since that day, he’s been asking me to make him some “Gee-Mah, everyday!!!  A few times a day!!!  It’s not that I don’t want to make the Mochi for him.  But let me explain to you all, a batch of Mochi makes 36 mini ones, and they CAN’T be refrigerated because cold temperature would harden the rice cake.  The Mochi usually only last for around 3 days, more or less depending on the weather, at room temperature.  I hesitated to make them just for his and my enjoyment for 3 days and waste whatever we couldn’t finished (yeah, my hubby doesn’t eat anything too sticky!)  I’m pretty sure that my son (not even 3 year old) and I can’t finish all 36 Mochi in 3 days, doesn’t matter how much we love them.  So, I promised my son I would make Mochi when Grandma and Grandpa visit.  Hence, they can take some home.  So, when my Mom called the other day and informed us they’ll visit the day after for lunch, my son was overjoyed!  Of course, he was very excited because he got to spend time with his Grandparents!  :D 



As usual, my parents bought Dim Sum over to our place and we all had lunch together.  After lunch, my Dad went for a walk with my son at the community playground.  I was chatting with Mom and I mentioned how my son has been asking me to make Mochi for him.  Coincidently, my Dad had been requesting Mom to make the same thing for him!  :)  And for the same reason, my Mom didn’t make them!  LOL…  Didn’t people say great minds think alike!?  Oh well, I guess the sweet tooth runs in the family.  So, here we go, I was getting the bento cups and mini muffin cups ready for the Mochi.  Aren’t they cute?






Besides black sesame seed fillings, you can also fill these Mochi with red bean paste.  They are available in most Asian markets, fresh or canned, very convenience.  However, I personally don’t like red beans, so, I only fill them with black sesame seeds paste.  These Black Sesame Seed Mochi are soft, chewy, fragrant, and flavorful!  Those coated with toasted sesame seeds outside got an extra crunch and toasted flavor.  Yum…

Earl Grey Pots de Crème and Honey Lace Cookies

There are so many things that are meant to be with one another and compliment each other’s existence.  For example, salt and pepper, bread and butter, sugar and cream, my hubby and BMW me, of course!  (Sorry Honey, I can’t resist not to put BMW here.)  Whoever knows my hubby well would agree with me, heheheh…Recently, I’ve found another pair!  Earl Grey Pots de Crème and Honey Lace Cookies.



Both of the treats are made with simple ingredients and yet, they are out of this world delicious.  I love their simplicity with a sophisticated twist.  Just like lives, I enjoy the most simple things in life.  Such as a cup of hot coffee to wake me up in the morning, oh wait, I think it’s the crying of my baby girl that wakes me up every morning;  A big hug and a kiss from my 3 year old son;  A thank you from my hubby after dinner to show his appreciation; A phone call from my best friend in Canada just called to say hello; Or, my parents and in-laws visit us to play with their grandkids.  I cherish and treasure every moment.                



If you are familiar with, or love, Earl Grey Tea, you have to give this recipe a try.  The texture is smooth, creamy and silky. The lemon zest elevates the tea flavor and bring out the best of it.  The tea flavor really comes through in this recipe.  It’s sweet, it’s fragrant and it’s unforgettable.      

The Honey Lace Cookies are crunchy, flavorful and melt in your mouth goodness.  Please try to refrain yourself from eating the whole batch without waiting on the Earl Grey Pots de Crème!  Oh well, they’re so easy to make, maybe you can consider making an extra batch to enjoy while you wait for the Pots de Crème to set.  Because that is exactly what I did!  :P





By the way, I've submitted the Honey Lace Cookies recipe for the Los Angeles Time Holiday Cookie Bake-Off.  Please vote for me by clicking on the picture below!  Thank you! 

Hazelnut Cookies

Things had been a little hectic around the house.  As I mentioned from the previous post, we’ve found a house that we really like.  So, we’ve made an offer and the seller accepted it.  Which means, we have to go through the loan process, home inspection and a few things here and there to prepare for the purchase of this new place (assuming everything went smoothly).  On one hand, I’m really happy and excited about this change.  This new house is almost everything that we’ve dream of.  On the other hand, I’m terrified!  Having the idea of packing, moving, cleaning, unpacking, and organizing to do in the very next month gives me headache.  Not to mention, it's also a big change for us financially.  I feel like I’m already stressed out and needed a break.  After all, purchasing a new house is a stressful event, no matter how pretty the house is. 



Well, I better remind myself that all these chores and processes are somewhat temporary.  They will end at certain point in time, except for cleaning and tidying, which are pretty much on-going.  Come to think of it, it’s better that we move sooner than later so we can have the new place ready before the holiday seasons.  One thing I’m pretty sure is that once we’ve settled down, we’ll really enjoy this new home.    



So, just let me unwind and take a short break for the moment.  Let my imagination takes me to lay down on the greenest pasture next to a quiet lake.  Let the gentle breeze glides through my hair.  Let me enjoy the beautiful blue sky filled with tulip and Verbascum-shaped clouds (just like the shapes of these Hazelnut Cookies).  Let me close my eyes, enjoy a cup of coffee and a few hazelnuts cookies.  Life is wonderful!  Then, I heard a high pitch voice screaming from behind, “Mommy, Mommy, come play with me!”  And that’s the sweet voice of my 3 year old son, waking me up from my day dream!  Alright, break time is over and I’m back to reality.  How come no one told me the working hours of a stay at home mom is 24 by 7 when I “applied” for the job?  Oh well, guess I should have known better.  :)






Hazelnut Cookies:
Makes 48 1-inch diameter cookies
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup ground toasted hazelnuts
extra all purpose flour for rolling out the dough
 
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
In stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy.

Scrape the bowl sides and bottom well.  While mixer is on low speed, gradually add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine and scrape bowl sides as needed.
With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients gradually until incorporated. Add ground hazelnuts and mix until a uniform dough is formed.

Divide dough into 2 pieces and flatten into ½ inch thick discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up dough. At this point the dough can be double wrapped and frozen for up to 2 weeks. To defrost dough, place in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, line cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.

On a floured board, place a piece of the dough and dust top with flour. Gently roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on sheet pan, leaving 1 inch apart between cookies.

Bake for 10-11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Transfer to wire racks with a spatula to cool completely.

High Tea--Smoke Salmon and Brie Crackers

In Hong Kong (where I grew up), "tea" denotes a light meal served in mid-afternoon from 2pm to 6pm.  This is a practice that Hong Kong people adopted from the British concept of Afternoon Tea during the late period of British colonial rule. Afternoon Tea is common, although not a meal served daily (oh well, it is served daily in my home though). The food taken consists of some light meals or snacks such as sandwiches, toast, or more substantial fares served together with milk tea, coffee, Horlicks, Ovaltine, yuenyeung, lemon tea for Western style food, and Chinese tea for Chinese style food.  Elaborate versions of English-style Afternoon Tea is often described as "High Tea" by Hong Kong people.



Whatever you want to call it, High Tea, afternoon snack, or light meal, you name it, we'll take it.  As long as I can continue to serve it at home.  I can skip lunch (if I had a huge brunch or breakfast that day), but I can never skip the afternoon tea.  It’s more than a ritual, according to my stomach.  When the clock strikes 4pm, you bet I’ll be in the kitchen area looking for snacks.  Today, I have some companies over at my place.  So, I prepared something more elegant this afternoon.  Don’t let the look trick you though, they’re super easy to make.  They’re best served with a cup of black tea or lemon tea.  This is such a perfect afternoon!     

Boo……Happy Halloween!

Aren’t they the cutest monsters out there?  My kids love Elmo.  They love these Elmo Cake Pops even more!  What can I say.  They are super cute, and super yummy.  I think my neighbors’ kids are going to love me, if I have enough Elmo Cake Pops to give out as Halloween Treats! 

These cake pops are quite fun to make and it’s really a treat to see Elmo comes alive in front of my eyes!  I’ll have a full list of ingredients and props needed to make these Elmo Cake Pops at the end of this post.  First, we need to crumbled some cake that is already baked up and cooled.



Heat up the cream to a simmer, pour onto the bittersweet chocolate chip and instant coffee, stir until melted and smooth.  Then, mixed the ganache to the cake crumb until they became wet sands texture, like the picture below.



Roll the cake mixtures into quarter size balls and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  (should make 45-50)  Place in Freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.



Below, the white decorating dots are for Elmo’s eyes, orange jelly beans for his nose, and round sprinkles colored in black for Elmo’s mouth.  If you can find small and thin circles of chocolate chip, you can use that for Elmo’s mouth instead.






Melt the red candy melts in microwave according to package instructions.  Insert a lollipop stick into the cake balls (about half way).  Carefully dipped the cake balls into the melted candy melts coating.  While coating is still wet, decorate with eyes, nose and mouth.  Use a toothpick and dipped the candy coating to create the furry look all around.



Tah-dah….Elmo is ready for Halloween!









Are you scared yet?!  Happy Halloween!