Banana SpringRoll with Hot Mango Salsa

Initially wanted to make some popiah but when I saw the bananas hanging helplessly in my kitchen, I decided to save their lifespan..by giving it a twist..
As for the salsa, I saw something like that on TV once, but I concocted one of my own to suit my taste and to prevent myself from having to go out for more groceries again..

Again,...trust my taste...*wink*

The way to eat this?..Cut the springroll in half(diagonally) and scoop some salsa with it and aim right into yr mouth. Enjoy!

Banana SpringRolls

Some bananas
SpringRoll skin

Depending on the size of your bananas,..err...I mean..THE bananas..(hehe)..u may want to halve them if it's too big. Wrap a piece with the SpringRoll skin,just like u would for a Popiah. Seal the edges with cornflour solution. (I double wrap mine using 2 pieces of skin, wrapping one at a time)
Deepfry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain and set aside.

When cool, drizzle with some melted chocolate and finish with a dust of icing sugar.
Dead easy.



Hot Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango - cubed
1 green apple - cubed
1 bird's eye chilli - deseeded and chopped REALLY fine
1 stalk of green onion - chopped fine
1/2 red capsicum - diced
1 tbsp of ginger juice
juice of 1 lemon
a sprig of mint - chopped fine

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl and mix really well, but try not to mash up the mangoes brutally. Serve with the banana springrolls.

Peach Tart

..mmm...I got greedy and felt like eating one...so, I scoured for a good recipe and found this one from happybaking, in which I have adjusted to my preference..frankly, I've tried other tarts before but I am only gonna stick to this for the rest of my life!..please...trust my taste..*wink*

Pastry

250g flour
50g ground almond
60g castor sugar
125g butter at room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Using a wooden spoon, beat butter and sugar until just combined. Add ground almond, egg and flour plus the vanilla. Work into a dough. Do not overknead or pastry won't be flaky. Work into a disc, cover with cling film and chill for abt 30 mins or so.

Roll out pastry to fit an 18 - 20cm tart pan with a removable base. Carefully fit into the greased pan. Neaten the edges. Freeze for abt 20 mins. Poke holes and blind bake in a preheated 180degrees oven for abt 12 mins.Cool completely.



Filling

20g flour
120g ground almonds
100g brown sugar
125g butter at room temperature
1 egg

Beat the above with a balloon whisk until just combined.Set aside



Sliced Peaches - well drained
Icing Sugar - for dusting

Spread filling neatly onto the pastry base. Line with the drained peach slices. Bake in a preheated 170degrees oven for abt 40 mins, depending on yr oven. Check and remove when a cake tester inserted in the centre of the filling comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar.

Sardine Vol-au-Vents

Another quick snack. Perfect for days when u don't know what to do with yr leftovers.

Filling

Could be anything. If using sardine, like the one that I made,
just make sure u drain the excess gravy off.

Puff Pastry - I used the store-bought one

Roll out yr thawed puff pastry as according to the instructions on the packaging. Cut out circles of dough with a 7cm round/fluted cutter. Then make enough circles with a 5cm hole cut in the middle. Pile three rings of dough onto a round base.



Adhere the dough with some water. Egg wash the top and bake in a preheated 200degrees oven for abt 15-20 mins or till it's adequately puffed up. Stuff the filling into the holes and serve.

BerryGrape Tartletts

Made these minis after noticing the luscious abundance of champagne grapes available at my heartland mart. Added the strawberries which happened to be in stock in my fridge. I made banana pastry cream as a twist.

Pastry

125g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg
180g flour
50g ground almonds

Work out the above ingredients into a dough. Press into a tartlet mould and use a fork to prick holes onto the pastry.
This is to prevent the dough from puffing up during baking. Bake blind in a preheated 180 degrees oven for 15 - 20 mins or till golden brown. Cool on wire rack and remove pastry cases from the moulds. If not using immediately, store them in an airtight container.

Banana Pastry Cream

1 egg
60g sugar
2 tbsp custard powder
100ml banana-flavoured milk
100ml heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk egg, sugar and custard powder till smooth. Scald the milk and heavy cream in another saucepan . Slowly add to the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and under low heat, stir continuously till it thickens to a prefered consistency, adding the vanilla along the way. Cool. To set aside, line a cling wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust forming on its surface.

Pipe pastry cream into cooled pastry tarletts.(u may also brush the insides of the pasty tartletts with melted chocolate first - to prevent sogginess) Arrange champagne grapes, strawberries or any prefered fruit of yr choice. Brush with warmed apricot glaze.

Almond Chocolate Cups

Attempted one of Alex Goh's recipe. You may use a sweet crust pastry of your choice if u wish.The problem that I have is,..the almonds were mysteriously 'gobbled' up the minute I roasted them!...hehe



Pastry

125g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg
180g flour
50g ground almonds

Work out the above ingredients into a dough. Press into a tartlet mould and use a fork to prick holes onto the pastry.




This is to prevent the dough from puffing up during baking. Bake blind in a preheated 180 degrees oven for 15 - 20 mins or till golden brown. Cool on wire rack and remove pastry cases from the moulds. If not using immediately, store them in an airtight container.



Caramel Almond

1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp water
Some roasted whole almonds

Boil sugar and water till golden brown. Add almonds and coat with the caramel syrup. Separate almonds on pan and let it cool and set.

Filling

200g chocolate - melted
200g white chocolate - melted
some roasted whole almonds

Place a whole almond into each baked pastry cup. Top with melted chocolate and white chocolate. Refrigerate for 2-3 mins till set. Drip a small drop of melted chocolate at the centre and tnen place a caramel almond on top. Then, see them disappear b4 your eyes!... (*makes abt 40*)

Fruit Tart

Specially made this for an occasion, but you can make it into individual tartlets or one big one. Pile your fave fruits on top of a custard filling and seal it with an undiluted piping gel or warmed apricot glaze..The end result?..enuff said.