Chinese Almond Cookies

The Lunar New Year falls on Friday, February 12, 2021 and marks the start of The Year of the Ox.  In my family Tết is a major holiday centered around family and food.  Obviously this year we won't have the extended family gathering that we normally would, but we'll still celebrate nonetheless.

Even though these Chinese Almond Cookies aren't your typical New Year's fare I thought they'd be a great to serve as dessert.   I found the recipe from use real butter's blog and it couldn't be simpler to make.  My favorite thing is how the tops of the cookies shine like lacquer, stemming from the brush of egg wash they receive just before being baked.  The almond flavor really comes through from the almond flour and almond extract in the recipe.   

These cookies are delicious and not too sweet and can be served all year long, not just for New Year's.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới 2021!!!!

Scallion & Ham Bread

Scallion Bread is a staple item sold at most Chinese bakeries you come across.  My favorite place in San Francisco to get them is Sunset Bakery in the Inner Sunset District.   There they add bits of ham to their scallion buns which are, in my opinion, the ne plus ultra: incredibly delicious, super soft and beautifully browned.  Since they're so easy to buy I never really thought of making it at home, that is, until I saw this post on Healthy Nibbles blog.  Lisa's bread looked exactly like Sunset Bakery's so I had to give it a try for myself.

The dough uses tangzhong, or a roux made of milk and flour, which gives the baked bread a lovely, soft texture.  In my experience any bread using this technique always turns out amazing.  The main modifications I made to Lisa's recipe were to replace the water in the tangzhong with milk, use instant yeast and add pieces of chopped ham.  

I made the recipe twice in a week so trust me when I say it's a good one.  The first time I shaped the dough into a very large four-strand braid.  For the second I shaped it into smaller knots because I wanted individual portions.   You wouldn't believe how excited I was that the bread turned out completely authentic!   Another plus is that it freezes beautifully so I can enjoy this yummy treat anytime I want.

Pineapple Buns with Chinese BBQ Pork

Hard to believe but after living in San Francisco for more than twenty years I must confess that I'd never tasted a Pineapple Bun until  just recently when I made them myself from a Cook's Illustrated recipe.  It sounds a bit silly to admit since my neighborhood is literally inundated with Chinese bakeries that sell this popular sweet bread.   One taste of the soft, fluffy interior and crunchy sugar top crust and I was a goner.

The secret to this bread is tangzhong, a cooked flour and water paste, that's added to the dough and makes the interior so light and soft.  I adore working with this dough - it is so forgiving and has the most beautiful elasticity.   You seriously can't mess it up!

The topping is piped in spirals over the proofed buns and is made of a butter, powdered sugar and flour mixture.  In the oven it melts down the sides of the bread and bakes in to a crunchy crust, very similar to craquelin on a choux pastry. 

I ended up filling my buns with Cook's Illustrated char siu or barbecue pork, another staple dish in Chinese cuisine, which I recently posted to my blog.   The savory, sweet filling was a delicious complement to the pineapple bun.   I brought samples of my first batch in to the office and my Chinese-American colleagues gave them the thumbs up.  If that's not the seal of approval I don't know what is!

Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)

It all started with an email from my brother, on behalf of my mom.  Mom's an ardent America's Test Kitchen fan, similar to myself, and had just seen the Chinese Classics episode on PBS episode featuring char siu, or Chinese BBQ Pork.   She wanted the recipe so asked my brother to have me print it out for her.  (Before you ask, my parents are not technologically savvy so it's easier for them if they have hard copies of the recipe.) 

I hadn't seen this episode myself so I went about searching for the recipe on Cook's Illustrated's site since I have an online membership.  The results turned up a few versions of char siu, one from the tv show and another that was more traditional looking, i.e., very red.  I was immediately intrigued by the latter which reminded me of the delicious rows of glistening bbq pork hanging on hooks in Chinese restaurants.  The laundry list of Asian ingredients did seem a bit daunting, but if there's one thing I am, it's determined.  Once I set my mind on something nothing will stop me. 

After a quick trip to the local Asian supermarket to buy the ingredients I didn't already have I was ready to go. Trust me, do not be intimidated!  The most challenging part is gathering all the ingredients, after that the recipe comes together pretty easily.  Another plus, there's quite a bit of down time when you make this recipe.  The pork needs at least 10-16 hours to marinate so you can easily prep things the night before and finish baking the next day.  

This char siu is seriously so good.  I literally made the recipe 3x in the last week alone.  I knew it was a keeper when my family unanimously gave it the thumbs up and they are not the type of people to hand out compliments easily!   With authentic results made at home who needs takeout?  Not me!