Thursday 21 February 2008

It's MeMe time!


I have recently been tagged..by two fellow bloggers: Mrs B of Mrs Bs Baking and Bridget over at bake at 350, thank you!! :)

Here are the MeMe rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

I spent quite a fair bit of time trying to come up with 5 interesting facts about myself...I almost wanted to give up as I am really quite a boring person, yawn...zzzZZZZ

I guess most of my readers have the same common interesting in baking, so I would like to share with you things that are related to baking, blogging and photography:

  1. I own a small 'desk-top' size Tefal oven. It's only big enough to put in a tray not bigger than 12 by 10 inches! Due to the limited space in my kitchen, I have to keep it in the kitchen cabinet after each use.
  2. I am using a bread maker which is considered cheap and economical...the brand is Bluesky, and it cost only S$69.90...a cheap deal as compared to other brands which are in the range of a few hundreds. So far it has really served it's basic purpose.
  3. We live in a flat that has got 3 bedrooms and 1 study room...and the 4 of us occupy only 1 bedroom! I take most of my recent photos in one of my empty bedrooms!! It is the best or let's just put it as, the only, spot that I could get fair amount of natural light.
  4. I use a Canon Powershot G3 (4 mega pixel)to take all the photos I have posted here. So far, I could only manage to set the camera to the auto-mode, turn on the macro function, turn off the flash and shoot away.
  5. I use a free software, Picasa 2, to crop, adjust the contrast and sharpness of my photos. It's quite an idiot proof software...excellent for people like me ;)
Now I will like to tag the following 5 fellow bloggers:

1. Aimei at Baking Cottage
2. Ovenhaven at Epicurean Escapism
3. Mandy at Fresh from the Oven
4. My Home Kitchen
5. Cocoa at Maskan Istimewa


and here's a tart that I will like to share with all of you out there...thank you for taking the time to visit my humble blog. I truly enjoy reading all your comments and feedback :)

I shall name this the Triple Almond Tart...


here's a closer look...the tart was made with ground almond or almond powder (which means the same thing) for both the pastry base and the fillings...the top was then sprinkled generously with almond slices. I adapted the same recipe as the Peach Tart. As usual, I used a 18cm disposable foil tart pan, since I have only a normal 16cm tart pan...as a result I wasn't able to make nice scallop effect on the rim :(


the sides was ok though...thanks to the foil tart pans that I got from Phoon Huat...that has got the side scallop on the pan...I do noticed that those available in supermarkets come in straight edges/sides only.


Here's sending you a 'virtual' slice of the tart...trust me, this is really good stuff! Enjoy ;p

Ingredients:
(make one 18cm tart)

pastry:
40g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
30g caster sugar
1 tablespoon (15g) lightly beaten egg
80g flour
20g ground almond

filling:
60g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
50g brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
80g ground almond
10g flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the original recipe calls for 2 tbs of rum)
50g almond slices (as toppings), lightly toasted

Method:
  1. Lightly grease an 18cm tart pan, set aside.
  2. Toast ground almond (do it for both the pastry base and filling) at 100 degC for 10mins. Stirring in between. Let cool.

  3. Pastry base:
  4. Sieve flour and ground almond together, set aside. If the ground almond is too coarse for the sieve, don't worry, just dump it with the rest of the sieved mixture.
  5. With a manual whisk, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
  6. Add in the egg gradually, whisk the batter till well mixed each time the egg is added.
  7. Add the flour/ground almond mixture in 2 to 3 additions into the batter. Fold with a spatula.
  8. Form and shape the pastry into a round disc. Roll out the pastry in between 2 sheets of cling wrap or baking paper or two sheets of cut-out plastic bags, to about 23cm in diameter.
  9. Remove one side of the cling wrap or baking paper. Place the rolled out pastry over the prepared tart pan. Mould the pastry into the tart pan, smoothing the edges and the rim carefully...if the pastry is too soft to handle, chill it in the fridge for 10~15 mins.
  10. Chill the moulded pastry in the fridge for 20mins.
  11. Remove from fridge, use a fork to poke some holes on the pastry. Brush the top of the rim with egg wash. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degC for 10~12mins until the edges are slightly browned. Let cool completely before adding the filling.

  12. filling:
  13. With a manual whisk, cream butter and brown sugar till the mixture turns fluffy. Add in the egg gradually, mix well each time the egg is added.
  14. Add in ground almond. Fold with a spatula till well incorporated. Sieve over the flour onto the mixture. Mix with the spatula. Add in vanilla extract and mix well.
  15. Spread the filling onto the cooled pastry base. Ensure the edges are all filled up. Sprinkle the surface with almond slices.
  16. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degC for 30~35mins, until the filling and almond slices turn golden brown. To prevent the almond slices from overly browned, bake the tart at a lower rack position for the first half of the baking time, then shift it up to the middle rack position...alternatively, you may cover it with foil halfway between baking.
Recipe Source: Delicious!! Baked Cakes, Ikuko Omori

    40 comments:

    小敏 said...

    This is one of my favourite pie...will try to make it one of these days! Thanks for sharing!!

    Anonymous said...

    very nice HBB, almonds look crisp and crunchy.

    Anne said...

    I've been trying to find a recipe for pineapple almond tart sold in Polar and I think this is quite close...thanks for the recipe :)

    Anonymous said...

    hey,may i know where u bought the ground almond from and how much it cost?thanks (:
    -sara

    Bridget said...

    Oh my goodness...that tart looks incredible!

    KWF said...

    Hi HHB, realised you have a similar oven as me (except that mine is 3 cm longer...lol...). You took great professional pics! And can see from all your bakes that you've got great skill too. Half of mine always end up as failures. :(

    sherlyn said...

    munch munch munch ... hmm yummy ..

    Thanks for the tart. ;-)

    Bimmer said...

    Hi!
    I enjoy your blog very much and have tagged you for a Meme. check out my blog www.mybakingblog.blogspot.com

    cheers,
    sandy

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Min@faith, do tell me after you have tried it!

    Thanks Eliza!!

    dear Anne, I've not tried the pineapple almond tart from Polar...so I don't know whether this is close enough? I hope it won't disappoint u. but this is quite a good tart recipe, as the ground almonds really make the tart very frangrant.

    Hi Sara, I got the ground almond from Phoon Huat...it should be around $4-5 for a 200g pack.

    Thank you Bridget!!

    Hi KWF, oh really?! my oven comes with a self cleaning function...btw I broke the timer knob within 1 month...and I was too lazy to get it replaced! Nah, my pics are very very far from professional standard...there are so many bloggers out there who take excellent photos...how I wish I can achieve those standard! As for baking, I don't really have the skill...it's just that I have more time to spare compared to those who need to work full-time...and I am more kaisu, most of the time I will read up to get more information. With more practise, I am sure your baking skills will improve overtime, jia you!!

    Sherlyn, thank you ;)

    Bimmer thanks for tagging me :)

    MrsB said...

    Hey,

    Your cakes looks really lovely, im hungry just looking at it! Nice to learn a bit more about you, hope you enjoyed being memed! Nic x

    Anonymous said...

    Hi HHB, my goodness, you come with all these wonderful creations with that humble oven? Well, it proves that the Baker is THE one to complement, not the oven! I take off my hat to you!
    Thanks for sharing your knowledge and recipes, and God Bless,
    Mrs Singh from Ipoh, Malaysia

    Susan from Food Blogga said...

    I'd like a triple serving of your triple almond tart. It looks simply lovely.

    Katherine said...

    hey happy home baker!!!

    i am so impressed by your baking skills!!! tried a few of your breads and i got some stuffs that i need your guidance but couldnt find your email. is it ok to let me have your email? or not u can email me @ thechocolatemedley@hotmail.com.

    look forward to your email!! =)

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Mrs B, thanks for your kind comments :)

    hi Susan, thank you!

    Hi Mrs Singh, thanks for your lovely comments. I always try 'to do more with less' ;)

    Hi Katherine, will drop u an email.

    Rei said...

    Hi, I enjoyed reading your blog and I just started out. May I link your blog to mine?

    Thanks
    Rei

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Rei, welcome to the world of blogging :) It's my pleasure to have you linked me up :D

    Anonymous said...

    WOW! this one totally looks good...
    i believe it's GOOD STUFF!!!5565

    priscilla joy said...

    I could actually taste that tart...it looks perfect for a tea party! Great pictures + great recipes = Super blog!

    Kitchen Corner said...

    Hi, may I know what type of green tea or matcha powder you using for chiffon cake?

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Grace, I have left a comment in my flickr photo about your question :) Anyway, I used this brand (see photo here). Are you a local? I bought it at the supermart at Isetan Scotts. I've also seen it at the NTUC at Junction 8. Hope this helps.

    Kitchen Corner said...

    Dear Happy Homebaker,
    Thank you very much for your help. I will fine it out the green tea. I was just relocating from UK to Singapore 3 months ago. Well, I'm origin from Malaysia. It's so great to know you. I may say you are a great baker!!

    Anonymous said...

    hello, I live in mexico so maybe i have mistakes, sorry but I have a question what is caster sugar or here in mexico where can i get it describe it please, I like yor blog a lot thank you

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Tere, thanks! Caster sugar has got very fine granules. It's like between granulated sugar and icing sugar. You may refer to this site for details on the type of sugar(http://www.joyofbaking.com/sugar.html). hope this helps :)

    Anonymous said...

    Hi HHB,
    I had tried making the almond tart, the fillings don't filled up to the edge, it only filled half of it. I had got all ingredients correct and where did I went wrong?
    Whisking the sugar and butter till fluffy, is it the same way doing as chiffon cake(double the size and stiff after whisking?
    I only whisk it up till creamy as the amount is very little, seems not easy to whisk till fluffy.
    Thanks!

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Jas, yes, before baking, the fillings will not fill to the edges, but it will puff up after baking. Whisking sugar and butter is not the same as whisking egg whites. The butter should slowly change from a bright yellow to very pale, cream colour. As you whisk, you can 'feel' that the mixture has become more and more fluffy and airy. One thing to note, I read somewhere that the butter should not be too soft (hope you know what I mean? the texture becomes so soft that it's like mayonnaise?), otherwise it will be very difficult to beat till fluffy. The butter should be left at room temperature to soften till you can press and indent it with a finger. Maybe the amount is very little plus our warm weather here, your butter may have started to melt away. Not sure whether this is the case?

    Anonymous said...

    Thanks HHB! Although it don't puff up that much, the taste still very good:p Yummi. I will try it again. Thanks again for sharing your recipes:)

    Anonymous said...

    This looks so delicious <3333 I want to make one too but I dont have any tart pan I only got a cake pan o.o Can I use it instead? xD Thanks so much for the recipe :D Its always nice to see your pastries n bread xP Make some more!

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Anonymous, I dont think you can use a cake pan to make this...you can use those alumin disposable tart pan instead. Are you a local? You can get the disposable ones at supermarkets or Phoon Huat.

    Anonymous said...

    Hiiiii HappyHomeBaker Thank you very much for your answer on the tart pan xd I didnt think of diposable pans @_@ Thats so a god idea because it doesnt cost a lot THANKS A LOT and I am not from local I live far away in Canada xD o well Thanks again and cant wait to see more of your pastries =D

    Big-Girlicious said...

    Hihi!! im a silent reader of your blog!! Always trying ur recipes! =)
    n i baked this pie ytd..
    it's delicious!! and fragrant!!

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Big-Girlicious, thanks for breaking the silence :) I'll love to hear from you more often! I am happy to know that you like this tart recipe...it is my favourate too :)

    Fai said...

    Hi HHB,

    Sorry to both you again. *blush*

    I was reading one of my baking books on making pastries and such. It stressed using 'unsalted' butter. I tend to just use salted butter in all my recipes as I can't seem to find it in my local grocery store. Is it really that necessary in this recipe? I have all the ingredients for it (save the unsalted butter, lol), and I'd love to try it out as my first tart.

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Fai, no worries :)
    For pastries, most cookbooks will recommend the use of unsalted butter for better taste. It is actually a common practise to use unsalted butter for baking even if it is not stated explicitly in most recipes. With unsalted butter, you don't have to worry about the extra salt. Like you, unsalted butter is not as readily available in the supermarket shelves here, and they don't keep well (no salt which act as a preservative). I use salted butter for almost all my baking, except for making bread as the amount of salt in the dough will affect the action of the yeast. However, if I run out of unsalted butter, I will use salted ones but reduce the amount of salt. I tried making tarts with both salted and unsalted ones, and I couldn't really tell the difference. Hope this helps.

    homegirl said...

    Hi HHB, how do you toast your almond slices? :D

    Happy Homebaker said...

    homegirl, you can toast the almond slices at 100 degC until lightly browned, around 5 mins or so. Stir in between.

    homegirl said...

    Thanks a lot!!

    wei li said...

    hi!
    Lovely tart you have there! May i know how the tart filling tastes like? Because so little flour is added inside, will it taste like a cakey layer?
    Thanks!

    Happy Homebaker said...

    wei li, I can't really describe it in words...the filling is like a very soft layer of biscuits, yet it is not dry or hard, it also tastes a little bit like cake crumbs.

    Rachell Roth said...

    Hi!
    I was wondering if you could convert this into cups and tablespoons so i could make it? it looks amazing!
    thanks!

    Happy Homebaker said...

    Hi Rachell, I am sorry I wont be able to convert the measurements into cups as the original recipe is in grams. The ingredient amount may not be accurate. However, if you are still keen to try this, you can look at this site for the conversion: (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cooking-conversions/cooking-conversions-calculator.aspx)