Good evening everyone 

 

It was a great baking demonstration this afternoon.  Our thanks to our member Mei Chung.  She had done lots of prep yesterday.

 

Egg Tart Recipe

 

Short Pastry

500 gram butter - softened

4 1/2 cups flour (you may need a further half cup)

1/2 cup sugar

I egg

 

Knead above ingredients together to form short pastry.  Wrap cling film and refrigerate for one hour.  Makes 24 - 30.  Either roll pastry or take about 1 tablespoon pastry and work into tart mould.  Once all pastry is “moulded” place in fridge.

 

Egg Mixture

4x  No.7 eggs room temperature 

1 cup sugar melt in 1/2 cup of very hot water (you may need to heat further in microwave)

1 cup milk

 

Whisk eggs briskly until mixed.  Add 1 cup milk and then sugar mixture.  Make you do it in this sequence because you don’t want to cook your eggs by adding hot mixture first! Mix well.  Shift mixture to remove any egg lumps or froth - this ensures a smooth custard.

 

Heat fan bake oven to 180°C.

 

Remove moulded pastry out of fridge.  Put sifted egg mixture into a pour jug. Pour mixture into pastry moulds 3/4 filled.  Placed all moulds onto baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.  Once custard is set, it will rise slightly from the sides of the pastry.

 

Cool for 5 minutes and remove from moulds. 

 

You may want to use ready made flakey egg tart pastry already in foil casings. These are available from Asian supermarkets in the freezer by the baos.

 

You’ve seen the demonstration, now you’ve got the recipe - have a go!

 

Cheers

COLLEENT

 

Good afternoon everyone 

 

On the radio this morning I heard Rudd Kleinpaste, aka the Bug Man, say that it is autumn.  But it jolly feels like winter! Today is the first time this year that I have the heater turned on before 3.00 pm - it’s very damp, wet and dreary and I’m not stepping outdoors today except to take the wheelie bin out.

 

I have to renege on my intentions to have a demonstration on making joongs.  My auntie from the restaurant is inundated with orders and can’t get away at lunchtime.  However, I have a Plan B.  From our Group’s combined knowledge and experience, we will have Mei Chung demonstrate her lovely egg tarts, or daan tarts in Cantonese.  My family has enjoyed her offerings over the years and I’ve convinced her that it is time our Group get a taste of it also.

 

The egg tart was sold in Guangzhou in the early 20th century, inspired by the English custard tart. Guangzhou is located in a handy position to have its cuisine influenced by outsiders.  The egg tart was invented by a western style department store to invent new pastries each week to attract customers from competitors. It was after WWII that the tart was brought to Hong Kong tea houses.  The original tart had a flaky pastry and over time, the short pastry version was introduced. Mei will by making the short pastry version.

 

If you are interested in tasty Cantonese style joongs, I am taking orders for them.  I will buy them from Golden Garden Restaurant.  The fillings include split mung beans, peanuts, dried shrimps, chestnut, salted egg yolk, dried scallops, sausage and pork.  They are $5.00 each.  You can pay on pickup.  I will order them and they will be available to be picked up at our June WG Meeting.  No deliveries.  Please order by return email.

 

Whilst I’m writing to you I’m also watching the Taiwanese movie “Eat Drink Man Woman” directed by Ang Lee on Netflix.  Although it is a 1994 movie, the story is still relevant and the kitchen and cooking skills are very impressive. Tonight sees the start of the 2021 season of Australian MasterChef at 7.30 on TV2 - I love the way Melissa Leong eats without smearing her bright lipstick! 

 

The kitchen roster are the Doves (Ida Tai, Rose Luey, Jessie Edmonds, May Young and Gillian Young.  I swapped with Gillian last month as she was in Wellington). Doves include Mei Chung but she will be demonstrating and we’ll have her tarts! 

 

I hope to see many of you on Saturday week.  In the meantime, stay well and keep warm.

 

Sofia at yum cha yesterday. After she polished off her two steamed char shiu baos and half a beef ball, the only thing to tie her down was YouTube. 

 

 

Cheers

 

COLLEENT

 

 

 Good Evening everyone 

I hope you are all keeping warm in this changeable autumnal weather. I’ve pulled out most of my bitter melon and hairy melon plants as they have withered.  I haven’t had a good season this year: there were not many melons this year.  I have also been disappointed with my feijoas - I think the guava moth has attacked both trees and eating them has been fraught with worms! 

Yesterday I received my first COVID vaccination jab.  Acting upon reliable information (yep, words from the song “Bonnie and Clyde”), although I didn’t have an appointment, I just walked in at the Mt Wellington vaccination centre.  I don’t think there was anyone being turned away but if you were 65 yo or over, you were definitely going to get shot.  I waited 45 minutes in the queue (chairs provided), 3 minutes with the vaccinator, 20 minutes in the observation room; then it was over. My arm is a wee bit sore today but otherwise all good.  Oh, you have to have at least 15 days lapsed since your flu shot.  I have to return in three weeks for the follow up jab.

We talked about how busy our community was last month.  One of the events was the community trip to the Hokianga to officially unveil the memorial to the SS Ventnor drownings and the loss of the 499 bodies that were in the process of being repatriated to Canton in 1902. 

We are fortunate that ACCC Committee Member Cecil Croucher has agreed to talk to us about his experience and impressions of the Hokianga trip.  Those of us who have had interaction with Cecil will know that he is an enthusiastic and positive person so it will be interesting to hear his talk.

On kitchen duty this month are the Kakas (Gillian Young, Nancy Leong, Kitty Chang, Tina Cole and Spring Lee).  If for whatever reason you can’t be on duty please arrange or swap with someone and let me or Helen know. 

I hope as many of our group can come and enjoy Cecil’s talk. 

Cheers

COLLEENT

Gillian Young

 

  hope you and your bubbles are well. My son and daughter-in-law worked from home during lockdown level 3 so I looked after Sofia all last week whilst her parents attended meetings and other work.  Usually I only look after her on Mondays and we would walk down to Greenwood’s Corner and she would have her savoury and I would have my coffee. Well, we weren’t able to go into the cafe and the first time we walked past it, she almost yanked her straps off the stroller trying to get into the shop.  Luckily we went into the butchery and his young son was there and distracted her.

I understand that Jacinda will be releasing Auckland to Level 1 on Friday as there has been no community Covid cases for eleven days, so....in anticipation...

Next Saturday, we are going to Hamilton (written with conviction and emphatically). We will go to Chartwell Square in the morning.  It’s been nearly 20 years since I shopped there but Helen thought it might be a good mall to visit and have lunch there.  We will then proceed to Hamilton Gardens. Sorry, we missed the special Claudelands market and it is back to its Sunday schedule.

Pick up: bus stop on Great South Road, Greenlane, outside McDonald/ Countdown.  Do no park in their customer car park - it won’t be towed but you will incur a big fine.

We will do a pick up at Bombay if required.

Time:  8.30 am

Cost: $20 pp

Face Masks:  As we are travelling private it is not compulsory to wear masks on our trip but we think it might give everyone comfort if we do wear them. We will have a reusable mask (courtesy of Women’s Group) and some disposable masks (courtesy of ACCC) for everyone on the bus. Bring your own if you wish.

Please let me know by Sunday if you are joining us - I need to know if we have sufficient numbers.  This will be our last trip for this summer (what? it’s our only trip...) .

I’ve asked the Hamilton Women Group to join us at Hamilton Gardens.  AND a invitation to our special friend Suzanne Chan-On now based at The Tron.

In the meantime, take care, get out the warm clothes. Daylight Saving ends in 04 April - same day as Ching Ming and Easter Sunday.

Cheers

COLLEENT