Chinese Pie Of Suzhou Style With Sesame Filling Recipes

'CHINESE' PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole with butter.
• Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir ground beef into onion, season with salt and black pepper, and cook ground beef mixture until browned and crumbly, about 10 more minutes. Drain excess grease.
• Spread cooked ground beef mixture into bottom of the prepared casserole dish; pour cream-style corn over the ground beef in a layer; top with layer of mashed potatoes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are browned and casserole is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

CHINESE PIE OF SUZHOU STYLE WITH SESAME FILLING

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients of water-oiled crust together in a big bowl, knead them until they become a smooth and elastic dough. (You can do this in a bread machine).
• Put the dough in a bowl cover it with a wet cloth and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Mix the ingredients of the pastry crust in another bowl (if you use the lard, you should store the lard for this step into the fridge for 3 hour before you get start).blend them until a red dough is formed. Cover the red dough with plastic wrap and cool it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Bake the walnut and 210g sesame for filling in an oven for 10 minutes, 150 degrees Celsius.
• Heat a dry pan with low flame, then pour 230g all-purpose flour into the pan, stir the flour in the heated pan until it turns golden.
• Get the golden flower in to a container, then put 3g sesame, 3g peppercorn and 6g salt in the same heated pan. Stir fry them until you smell their fragrance.
• Put the all the sesame (213g in total), peppercorn, and salt into the food processor, break them into greasy powder.
• Pour the sesame powder into the container with golden flour, add 200g maize oil, dry grapes, honey, and baked walnut. Mix all ingredients of the filling well. Here we have our filling done
• Divide the filling evenly into 28 portions. Shape each portion of filling into balls.
• After the doughs for water-oiled crust and pastry are properly rested, place both doughs on the panel.
• Divide the dough for water-oiled crust in to 14 portions, and then do the same to the dough for pastry.
• Pair each portion of water-oiled dough with a portion of pastry dough.
• Shape each portion of pastry and water-oiled crust dough into balls.
• Roll out a portion of water-oiled crust dough in to a flat circle with a rolling pin, then rap a portion of pastry dough with the round, flat portion of water-oiled dough. Do this for the rest of the portions. (Remember! Do seal up the seal tightly!).
• Rest the wrapped doughs for 10 minutes.
• Roll out one wrapped dough, until it become a flat oval, approximately 8cm in width and 15-20cm in length. (Be careful! Do not break the outer water-oiled dough by mistake!), then roll up the flat oval along the longer side, make it a cylinder. Do all these for the rest of the warped doughs.
• Rest the cylinder-shaped dough for 10 minutes.
• Roll out one cylinder along the longer side, until it become a flat oval, approximately 5cm in width and 30 cm in length (AGAIN Be careful! Do not break the outer water-oiled dough by mistake!), then roll up the flat oval along the longer side, make it a cylinder again. Do all these for the rest of the warped doughs.
• Cut a cylinder dough into two pieces at the midpoint of the longer side with a sharp knife. If you do this correctly, you will see many red rings at the sections, just like the growth rings of a tree. Do it for the rest of each cylinder doughs.
• Place the section of one piece of dough upward, flatten the little dough slightly with you palm, and then roll it out into a flat circle, about four to five inches in diameter (if you want your pies look good, you should try you best to prevent the red rings in the middle from any distortion). Wrap a portion of filling (shaped in a ball) with the flat dough (you can cover the filling with the flat dough, place the section on the top, and wrap the filling by sealing the dough at the bottom.) Do this for the rest of the doughs and filling. Here you get the uncooked pies LOL!
• Place all the uncooked pies in to a baking tray, and then heat the oven with 170 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes.
• Place the baking tray on the middle rack of oven, bake for 25 minutes with 170 degrees Celsius.
• Done! Enjoy this GREAT dessert! Remember to serve it for Chinese New Year!

FRIED SESAME BALLS WITH LOTUS PASTE FILLING

Steps:

• For the lotus paste: Rinse the lotus seeds in a medium bowl under cold water, then cover with 3 to 4 cups cold water. Soak at room temperature overnight. Drain. Split each seed if whole, then remove and discard any green core, which will be bitter. Discard any dark lotus seeds.
• Combine the lotus seeds with 4 cups cold water in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cook, partially covered, until the seeds are soft and easily break apart, about 1 hour, adding more water if the level falls below the seeds. Drain.
• Transfer the lotus seeds to a food processor. Add the warm water and process on high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally, until very smooth, about 1 minute. Pass through a mesh-strainer into another medium bowl, pressing on the solids. Scrape the bottom of the strainer and discard the solids (see Cook's Note).
• Combine the lotus puree, confectioners' sugar and a small pinch of salt in a medium nonstick saute pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a flat-edge wooden spoon or firm rubber spatula, until the paste has thickened and slowly comes back together when you run a spatula across the bottom of the saute pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the oil 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly after each addition, until incorporated. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. Spread the lotus paste evenly in a shallow bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours (see Cook's Note).
• For the dough: Meanwhile, stir the wheat starch and boiling water in a medium heatproof bowl until a dough forms. Knead for 30 seconds until all the starch is hydrated. Cover with a plate and set aside until needed.
• Stir the glutinous rice flour, granulated sugar and lard in a large bowl. Add 1/3 cup cold water and stir with a spoon until a dough forms. Scrape off all the dough from the spoon and knead by hand until the flour is moistened, about 1 minute.
• Tear off small (pea-size) pieces of the wheat starch dough. Scatter over the glutinous rice dough and knead in until completely smooth. If the dough feels dry or cracks, knead in 1 tablespoon cold water at a time until the dough stops cracking. Knead for another 30 seconds, transfer the dough to a resealable bag and refrigerate for 1 hour to hydrate the flour.
• Divide the lotus paste into 8 portions (about 30 g each) and roll each into a ball. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate, covered, until ready to fill the dough balls.
• Remove the dough from the bag and knead until pliable. If it feels dry and cracks, knead in 1 tablespoon cold water at a time until smooth. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, roll each into a ball and cover with an inverted bowl to prevent it from drying.
• Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll into a 4-inch round using a small rolling pin. Place it on your palm and thin out 1/2 inch of the edge all around using the tips of your index finger and thumb. Place a ball of lotus paste in the center, wrap the dough around it, then pinch the dough together and gently press it together to form a ball. Roll in between your palms until the seams disappear and a smooth ball forms. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining balls of dough and lotus paste.
• For the coating: Pour the sesame seeds onto a fine-mesh strainer, run under cold water to moisten, then drain and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Roll each ball in the sesame seeds until completely coated.
• For frying: Fill a large wok or deep Dutch oven two-thirds of the way with the neutral oil. Heat over medium-low heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F. Carefully add all the sesame balls and immediately start moving them along the bottom of the wok with a slotted spoon and spoon. Keep the sesame balls constantly moving to obtain the perfect round shape and fry, without letting the oil exceed 300 degrees F, until the balls expand a bit, the exterior is crisp and becomes light golden, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and continue frying, stirring constantly, without letting the oil exceed 325 degrees F, until the sesame balls are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. During this time, submerge the sesame balls in the hot oil and push each ball in between the two spoons to color evenly and maintain the ball shape.
• Drain the sesame balls on a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut each in half with kitchen shears, just like how they are served at dim sum restaurants, and enjoy them while they're still hot.

CHINESE PIE OF SUZHOU STYLE WITH SESAME FILLING

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients of water-oiled crust together in a big bowl, knead them until they become a smooth and elastic dough.
• Put the dough in a bowl cover it with a wet cloth and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Mix the ingredients of the pastry crust in another bowl, blend them until a red dough is formed. Cover the red dough with plastic wrap and cool it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Bake the walnut and 210g sesame for filling in an oven for 5 minutes, 150 degrees Celsius.
• Heat a dry pan with low flame, then pour 230 g flour into the pan, stir the flour in the heated pan until it turns golden.
• Get the golden flower in to a container, then put 3g sesame, 3g peppercorn and 6g salt in the same heated pan. Stir fry them until you smell their fragrance.
• Put the all the sesame, peppercorn, and salt into the food processor, break them into greasy powder.
• Pour the sesame powder into a container, add all the golden flour, maize oil, raisins, honey, and baked walnut. Mix all ingredients of filling well.
• Divide the filling evenly into 28 portions. Shape each portion of filling into balls.
• After the doughs for water-oiled crust and pastry are properly rested, place both doughs on the panel.
• Divide the dough for water-oiled crust in to 14 portions, and then do the same to the dough for pastry.
• Pair each portion of water-oiled dough with a portion of pastry dough.
• Shape each portion of pastry and water-oiled crust dough into balls.
• Roll out a portion of water-oiled crust dough in to a flat circle with a rolling pin, then rap a portion of pastry dough with the round, flat portion of water-oiled dough. Do this for the rest of the portions. (Remember! Do seal up the seal tightly!).
• Roll out one wrapped dough, until it become a flat oval, approximately 8cm in width and 20 in length. (Be careful! Do not break the outer water-oiled dough by mistake!), then roll up the flat oval along the longer side, make it a cylinder. Do all these for the rest of the warped doughs.
• Roll out one cylinder along the longer side, until it become a flat oval, approximately 5cm in width and 30 cm in length (AGAIN Be careful! Do not break the outer water-oiled dough by mistake!), then roll up the flat oval along the longer side, make it a cylinder again. Do all these for the rest of the warped doughs.
• Cut a cylinder dough into two pieces at the midpoint of the longer side with a sharp knife. If you do this correctly, you will see many red rings at the sections, just like the growth rings of a tree. Do it for the rest of each cylinder doughs.
• Place the section of one piece of dough upward, roll it out into a flat circle, about four to five inches in diameter (if you want your mooncake look good, you should try you best to prevent the red rings in the middle from any distortion). Wrap a portion of filling (shaped in a ball) with the flat dough (you can cover the filling with the flat dough, place the section on the top, and wrap the filling by sealing the dough at the bottom.) Do this for the rest of the doughs and filling. Here you get the uncooked mooncake LOL!
• Place all the uncooked mooncake in to a baking tray, and then heat the oven with 170 degree Celsius for 5 minutes.
• Place the baking tray on the middle rack of oven, bake for 25 minutes.
• Done! Enjoy this GREAT dessert! Remember to serve it for Chinese New Year!

SPICED CUSTARD PIE WITH SESAME CRUST

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear. With the machine running, add 2 tablespoons ice water and sesame seeds and process until the dough just holds together. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers and if it is very crumbly, pulse in another tablespoon of ice water. Do not overprocess.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and push together into a rough ball. Knead a few times just to combine and flatten into a flat disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
• When ready to bake pie, combine half-and-half with 1/3 cup sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, ,stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Cover and steep the mixture for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F with rack in lower third of oven. Place a foil-lined baking sheet in the oven. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a 13-inch round. Line the pie pan with the dough. Trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang around the pan. Tuck the overhanging dough under and crimp as desired. Transfer pie dish to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Line the dough with a piece of foil and top with pie weights or beans. Place the pie pan on the preheated baking sheet and bake until the edges are lightly golden, 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until crust is light gold in color, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove pie dish from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 10 minutes, leaving foil-lined baking sheet in the oven. Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
• In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture forms pale yellow ribbons, about 2 minutes. Rub a small amount of the egg mixture in between your fingers to check for any undissolved sugar. If any remains, continue beating the mixture for a bit longer. Gradually whisk 1/2 cup warm cream mixture into the egg mixture to gently warm (or temper) the eggs. Continue to gradually whisk in remaining half-and-half mixture into egg mixture until completely combined. Whisk in vanilla. Place the pie pan on the baking sheet in the oven and strain custard into the cooled pie crust (do not overfill.) Bake until the center is just set, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days ahead).
• If you'd like to create a burnt-sugar crust, sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar evenly over top of tart just before serving. Light blowtorch and move flame evenly back and forth just above top of tart, avoiding crust, until sugar is caramelized and slightly browned (be careful not to burn sugar). Let tart stand 5 minutes before serving.

SAVORY SUZHOU MOONCAKES

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a blender, blend the scallion, sliced ginger and 1/4 cup water on high until puréed. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and transfer 3 tablespoons of the flavored water to a medium bowl. Add the pork, sugar, cornstarch, wine, both soy sauces, the sesame oil, minced ginger, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking, then divide the meat mixture evenly into 16 balls (each about 1 rounded tablespoon) and place on a baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate to firm up while preparing the dough.
• Make the dough paste: In a medium bowl, mix the flour and lard with a silicone spatula or your hands until they form a dough. The paste should just hold together: It will be dry and flaky but still oily. Shape into 16 small balls (each about 1 scant tablespoon) on another baking sheet, and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
• Make the dough: In a large heatproof bowl, mix the flour, lard, sugar and salt. Stream in the boiling water and mix with a silicone spatula to form a dough. When the dough is cool enough to handle, use your hands to knead the dough until it is very smooth with no lumps, adding more water or flour as needed for dough that is tacky but not sticky. Divide the dough into 16 balls (each about 1 rounded tablespoon) on a separate baking sheet and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough paste and dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, assemble the mooncakes: Place a ball of the dough in one palm and use your other palm to press it into a flat disk. Take a ball of the paste and place in the center of the disk. Bring the sides of the dough up and around the paste ball, so that the paste is encased within the dough.
• With a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, flatten this ball of dough into a flat, long and thin oval. Starting from the bottom narrow end of the oval, roll the dough into a log. Set aside under plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough, keeping the logs under plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Rest for 10 minutes.
• Position a log so that it's vertical and flatten with a rolling pin, rolling up and down, to form a long oval. Roll it up again into a log, lightly flouring the rolling pin and surface as necessary. Press a chopstick or your finger crosswise down the middle so that the two edges bend upward. Flatten the whole thing with your palm so that you see two spirals. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a thin circle, about 4-inches wide. Repeat with the remaining logs.
• Add the meat filling: Place a ball of meat inside the circle. Pleat the dough around the meat and pinch to close. Pinch off any excess dough. Flip the ball over, gently press with your palm to flatten it slightly, and set it on a baking sheet, covering it loosely with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Repeat with all the remaining dough and meat.
• In a small bowl, make the egg wash by combining the egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush the mooncakes with the egg wash and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve while hot. Mooncakes will keep in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days refrigerated or for several months frozen.