曲奇秘方大公開

早前聖誕節，大蕃薯焗曲奇送人，本來無心插柳（大蕃薯最愛焗麵包，焗曲奇喺副業），怎料受親友賞識，受寵若驚呀......最近見不少朋友很感興趣，大蕃薯在此將曲奇「秘方」公諸同好。拙文重點在於「秘方」而非「配方」，後者其實只是拾人牙慧，前者則是大蕃薯動手做過幾次後的小小心得。最多朋友問：點整到咁脆呢？

配方只是傳統英式手指餅（見英國廣播公司BBC食譜）－－

麵粉：純植物油：糖　＝　３：２：１

（例如：150g 麵粉 + 100g 油 + 50g糖）

大蕃薯歷年用過幾份曲奇食譜，這份食譜好處如下：

• 材料簡單、易記，材料比例容易拿捏，亦少有買多多、用少少、剩多多的情況
• 容易做純素（vegan）版，只需換上純植物油
• 簡單就是美（大蕃薯的美食準則）

基本做法：

一、預熱焗爐（190°C）

二、打起植物油至忌廉狀

三、加糖再打

四、加麵粉拌勻

五、印模

六、焗廿分鐘

前人秘訣：

• 用中筋麵粉（all purpose flour）。
• 用粘米粉（無錯，整蘿蔔糕果Ｄ）取代部份麵粉，麵粉與粘米粉比例為三比一。粘米粉可令曲奇變脆。
• 用自發粉取代部份麵粉（比例自定，粘米粉份量不變），如此曲奇烤焗時會膨脹，令曲奇更脆。
• 麵粉及糖過篩後再加，免有起沙口感。
• 麵糰拌勻後放入雪櫃冷凍廿分鐘再印模，令植物油重新變成固體，烤焗時溶化過程會令曲奇更脆更脆。

獨門秘方：

• 用手。步驟二用手動發蛋器打起植物油。步驟四用刮刀稍稍拌入麵粉後，改用手直至拌勻成麵糰。因為雙手有人體微溫，這種微溫會稍稍改變麵糰質地。手動打起植物油時，因速度時快時慢，令曲奇層次更豐富。
• 用原蔗糖。原蔗糖有其獨特甘香，其香依產地、季節而別，曲奇烤焗之後，這份甘香會淡淡地襯托餅底酥香，雖不易察覺，實是畫龍點睛也。
• 印模後再放入冰格雪廿分鐘，令曲奇更脆更脆更脆。
• 焗好後放涼，再放入雪櫃冷凍一晚，以抽乾水份，令曲奇更脆更脆更脆更脆。
• 材料只有三種，入口優劣易分，有心下廚不妨買貴些少的材料。

改動食譜後：

３　：　６：　３　：　　８　：４

粘米粉：麵粉：自發粉：純植物油：糖

（例如：45g粘米粉 + 90g麵粉 + 45g自發粉 + 120g 油 + 60g糖）

（市面上大部份植物油含牛奶，大蕃薯用pureTM Dairy free Sunflower，在港City super、Three Sixty、九龍灣Loving Hut等店有售。）

若非出文，大蕃薯也不知自己平時累積了這些窍門！原來光是令曲奇變脆就有五個。

好友要訂婚了，大蕃薯做了一份曲奇賀卡。

Vegetarian Cookery School - Vegan pudding and desserts

終於上了期待已久的純素甜品課程，同類課程即使在本地亦很少見，聖誕大餐特別班早已爆滿，大蕃薯想報名都沒機會了><"


課堂上共製作了五款甜品和一款主菜，即場吃了兩款甜品：pancake和rice pudding，其餘三款（toffee pudding, dark coca muffin, cinnamon roll）就帶回家慢慢品嚐～最最最驚喜的是肉桂卷（cinnamon roll），味道根本是港式麵包呀！！師傅教我們用大豆乳酪和豆奶等做出鬆軟的質感，還有用糖加豆奶掃面，做出反光的靚靚包面。











另外pancake亦很不錯，只不過我組煎pancake時火候沒調校好，沒能做出像師傅的pancake鬆軟。原來除了楓糖漿外，現在市面上有好幾款糖漿供我們選擇，有海棗、龍舌蘭等，我喜歡黑龍舌蘭糖漿，就買了一支放在家裡。

Rice Pudding是很適合初學者的甜品，以椰漿和豆奶代替牛奶就可以了。這亦是大蕃薯第一次接觸Saffron這種香料，有種水果的淸甜，一小撮就能為整鍋布甸畫龍點睛！跟雲尼拿、橙香、提子乾等配合來煮飯亦很不錯。

師傅替我們弄了肉桂香橙布霖做Rice pudding的佐料，因為這步驟稍為麻煩，大蕃薯在家都懶很預備了......留待特別節日才加這佐料吧。



主菜是蔬菜批和兩款沙律，沙律的水準極高。要做出美味的生菜很有難度，將什麼生菜配在一起亦甚有學問。主角是甜品，蔬菜批和兩款沙律表過不詳。

這次大蕃薯學了好多純素甜品的基本功，以後焗糕點會很有用喔。

牛角包

自從三年前學過做牛角包後，就立下決心不要再吃牛角包。那種一絲絲的口感原來是靠大量牛油做出來的，普通超級市場買到的一磚紙包牛油只夠做幾個牛角包O.O
太肥啦。

但自從上星期在鎮上那間有機店發現一款純素牛角包之後，就一直忘不掉它～前幾日忍不住買了一個！

牛角包切開一半，灑上碎朱古力，放入焗爐待朱古力熔化，再塗上自家製花生醬，做下午茶最好不過 =]
無蛋無奶的牛角包沒有記憶中的酥香、稍硬，但仍有一絲絲的口感。不錯喔～
（P.S. 原來那間有機店有賣豆腐雪糕！）

包包包

在云云西餅糕點中，大蕃薯最鍾情做麵包。

相比起蛋糕曲奇這要些一氣呵成的，做麵包需要較長的時間和耐性，揉麵、發酵、再發酵、烤焗、放涼脫模，過程中一次又一次的等待，稍為心急、等不及麵糰發好就放入焗爐，又或者想縮短發酵時間而多放酵母，烤出來的包就很容易不成包型。

等待的過程中既是期待，又有點不安，在廚房弄了三、四個小時，到底一整個下午的心血會不會成功呢？到焗爐傳出陣陣包香時那種好奇心更大，好想趕快出爐咬一口。

切開麵包、看見陣陣水蒸氣從包裡冒出來，捧在手心暖暖的感覺，那刻真的會很感動！
大愛麵包！

Tushita @ München (Part II)

The best vegan cake I tried ever in Tushita Teehaus!!!

I tried 5 pieces of cake/ tarte/ roll in total! Not in one tea though, I ate 3 inside and took away another 2 for breakfast next morning. I could barely tell those were vegan cakes. They're thick and rich, so yummmmy and unforgetable.

The first one I ordered was apple crumble. I was craving for one for quite a while (and home-baking was not successful yet) The crumbles are really crispy, the tart is well baked. It's luscious! The thing I loved most was the apple with skin on top. The only drawback was its small size... or I just loved it too much =p

The special drink was grapefruit lemo. What a perfect match with the apple crumble! It's light and cold, with freshness from grapefruit and a well-balance between sweet and sour. Suits a hot and sunny day.

The tea house is decorated in Japanese style, with traditional East Asian teapot, etc. Pleasing and claiming.

Okay, go back to the cakessss.
Another one I would recommend is the black sesame cake. The cake itself was a normal thick sponge cake. The part needed to be highlighted was the black sesame jam on top. It's full of sesame amour, creamy and with layered texture of sesame seeds.

(The fresh orange juice at the back was my mum's order)
(Actually this sesame cake was her choice as well but I ended up finishing it)


The third one came this veggie roll. The filling was good, with mixed veggie and firm tofu.

The thing made it an average was the pastry. The layering of the pastry was not sharp and crispy enough. Also, I ate it at room temperature, may be it's better when it's warm?
So far I haven't had any really impressive vegan roll, may be someone can suggest me one ;]

Then, I was full finally......
So I took away two more as breakfast next morning.


This ginger cake is similar to the sesame cake. It had a pleasant and delight smell of ginger. The topping was icing sugar instead of sesame jam. It's not spicy even though the ginger flavour was outstanding, but managed to keep the ginger stimulation to my tongue. Definitely go for it if you're a ginger lover.

The last one was the Gouqi cake. I chose it because of the gouqi. What is gouqi? I checked Wikipedia, it has an English name as "wolfberry". It's something my mum use often in cooking and herb tea, and sometimes steams rice with some. It's good for eyes and kidney, and a common Chinese medicine ingredient.

It's the first time I tried it on a dessert! The filling was similar to cheese cake, with a thin jelly-like topping and a few whole wolfberries. Again, the pastry was crispy. The tart was a bit citrious. May be because it stayed overnight outside fridge? It's difficult to decide it's good or not...

Continue in München......

街坊味

如果烘焙界也有外貌協會的話，時下流行的法式甜品Macaron大概就是大眼長腿美女，菠蘿包相形見黜之下就只說得上順眼而已。菠蘿包真的很平凡，就是因為第一印象不夠搶眼，所以與精緻無緣嗎？

本土糕餅店華麗革命 一洗街坊味 趕精緻潮流［明報］
　　「傳統港式腸仔包菠蘿包談不上體面，更與精緻無緣。」

這次由衷地替菠蘿包感到不值。或者真的是隔離飯香，外來貨品大都聲價十倍，連麵包都不例外。為什麼傳統的港式麵包就談不上體面？就因為它不是貴族出身嗎？就因為店面沒有黑色牆身、歐洲式瓷磚、水晶燈？

菠蘿包不需要水晶燈，也不需要Latte的襯托，只需要一位用心的師傅來造就它。精緻一定要出於外貌嗎？出於味道不可嗎？一口咬下新鮮的菠蘿包，上面那塊脆皮在口中似溶未溶，只夠多咀嚼兩口，那塊脆皮就溶成牛油濃香，跟托底的白麵包融合......現時麵包款式層出不窮，什麼咖哩叉燒、深海潛艇、朱古力寶盒，這些材料都夠做炒粉麵飯了，焦點變得模糊，作為主角的麵包被擠到一邊去。用心去品嚐的話，不難感覺到最傅統的款式才是百試不厭的。

在大蕃薯很小很小的時候，屋邨裡有一家很傳統的麵包店，師傅會直接將焗盤連剛出爐的麵包放出來那種店。沒有預先用膠袋包裝好的麵包，會被陣陣麵包香吸引入內，夾起麵包時手掌可以直接感受到一整盤麵包暖暖的蒸氣，可以跟麵包有眼神交流，挑個有大大塊菠蘿皮的。店主是一位婆婆，就算只是買價值一元的迷你菠蘿包，她都會面帶笑容地跟街坊寒暄兩句。

街坊味有什麼不好？街坊味就是港式麵包的特點之一呀！我們何不試試欣賞自己擁有的呢？為何一定是歐日式裝潢？要別人認同，先要自己真心地認同。要是我們都不認同港式麵包，它們自不然無法走向世界。港式麵包有的是實力，只要我們都肯定自己，菠蘿包也可與Macaron並駕齊驅！

 明天，試試不要光顧地鐡站那間，提早五分鐘出門，到附近最街坊的麵包店，買一個平凡的菠蘿包雞尾包咸豬仔腸仔包......

港式麵包加油！