Vegetarian Mushroom Wellington

Prep time 10 mins

Cook time 50 mins

Total time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 6 medium or 4 large portabello mushrooms, stalks trimmed and cleaned
• 3 onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs butter
• 300g baby spinach
• 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil followed by onion and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are golden brown.
2. Remove the onions from the pan and return it to the heat. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from the baby spinach from the pan and leave to cool.
3. Increase the heat to medium and return the pan to the heat. Add the butter and when the butter has melted and started to froth place the mushrooms, top side down. Cook until lightly golden before turning over and cooking for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper. Leave the mushrooms to drain on paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit). When the mushrooms, spinach and onions are cooled (you can pop them in the fridge to speed up the process) place a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray and then place the puff pastry sheet on top. Spread the caramelised onions over the middle third of the pastry, making sure to leave a 2cm (3/4 inch) border at the edge of the pastry. Top with half of the cooled baby spinach. Spread the dijon mustard over the mushrooms and place the mushrooms on top of the spinach. Top the mushrooms with thyme and the remaining baby spinach.
5. Very carefully roll the pastry over the top of the mushroom mixture until you have a log. Press down to seal the edges. Roll over the log so that the seam is facing the bottom.
6. Cut 2 holes in the middle of the pastry to allow steam to escape and very lightly coat with the egg wash. Place the pastry in the freezer for 10 minutes before repeating with another layer of egg wash and freezing the pastry for a further 10 minutes.
7. Place the pastry back on the baking sheet and tray and place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden and flakey.

Cinnamon Apple Strudel

Ingredients

6 layers phyllo dough
1/4 brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stack layers of dough brushing each layer with butter before topping with next layer. Brush top layer with butter. In a bowl combine apples, raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Spoon filling down the left longside of phyllo rectangle. Fold top edge down and bottom edge up by about 2 inches to cover filling. Roll dough up along long side to enclose filling. Brush log with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and puffed

Bubble Tea

How to Make Boba and Bubble Tea

What You Need
Ingredients
1/4 cup dried boba tapioca pearls per serving (NOT quick-cooking boba)
1-2 tea bags per serving, any kind
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Milk, almond milk, or sweetened condensed milk
Fruit juice or nectar (optional)
Equipment
Saucepan
Bowl for holding the cooked boba
Measuring cups

Instructions
1. Cook the Boba: Measure 2 cups of water for every 1/4 cup of boba being prepared into a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the boba and stir gently until they begin floating to the top of the water.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the boba for 12-15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, cover, and let the pearls sit for another 12-15 minutes.

2. Prepare Sugar Syrup for the Boba: While the boba are cooking, make a simple sugar syrup to sweeten and preserve them once cooked. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil over high heat on the stove or in the microwave. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

3. Prepare a Strong Cup of Tea: This can be done either while the boba are cooking or ahead of time. Allow enough time for the tea to cool completely before making the boba. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bag. Use one tea bag for regular-strength bubble tea or two for a stronger tea flavor. Remove the tea bag after 15 minutes and chill the tea.

4. Finish the Boba: Once the boba have finished cooking, drain them from the water and transfer them to a small bowl or container. Pour the sugar syrup over top until the boba are submerged. Let sit until the boba are room temperature, at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to use. Boba are best if used within a few hours of cooking, but will keep refrigerated for several days. The boba will gradually harden and become crunchy as they sit.

5. Make the Bubble Tea: Pour the prepared tea into a tall glass and add the boba. Add milk for a creamy bubble tea, juice for a fruity tea, or leave plain and add a little extra water. Sweeten to taste with the simple syrup from soaking the boba.

Additional Notes:

• Very Chilled Bubble Tea: For an extra-chilly bubble tea, combine all the tea, milk, and/or juice, but not the boba in a cocktail shaker. Add a few ice cubes and shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and add the boba.
• Shortcut Boba: If you want immediate gratification, just cook your boba until they are tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and use them as soon as they're cool. This kind of boba don't keep for very long (turning rock hard in a few hours), but are delicious if eaten right away.
• Saving Leftover Boba and Making Boba for Later: Boba are best if used within a few hours of cooking, but will keep refrigerated with simple syrup for several days. The boba will gradually harden and become crunchy as they sit.

Chinese Egg Tarts

Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Yield: 20-24 tarts

Ingredients

200g all purpose flour (1 ½ cups)

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

200g unsalted butter, room temperature but not softened (14 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons cold water

scant 1 cup hot water

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup evaporated milk, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add the butter and break it up roughly with your fingers, making sure to keep visible little chunks of butter in the dough. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and bring the dough together. Add a tiny bit more water if necessary, but not too much. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board, knead gently, and form into a neat rectangle. Roll the dough away from you (not back and forth), forming a 20 x 50cm rectangle (about 8x20 inches). Try to keep the edges even, and don’t overwork the butter streaks. Flecks of butter should still be visible in the dough.

Fold the top third of the dough down to the center, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (left or right) and roll out again to three times the length. Fold the same way as before, cover, and chill for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Dissolve 1/2 cup sugar into the cup of hot water, and allow to cool to room temperature. Whisk eggs and evaporated milk together and then thoroughly whisk in the sugar water and vanilla. Strain through a very fine mesh strainer--this step is extremely important to getting a smooth, glassy egg tart.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C and position a rack in the lower third of your oven. Roll out the dough and cut circles to fit your tins (you can also use a shallow muffin pan). Press the dough into the tins and use a ladle to fill each tart shell until just reaching the edges of the outside crust. Once filled, immediately (but very carefully) transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C and bake another 10-12 minutes, until filling is just set (if a toothpick can stand up in it, it’s done). If you see the shells start to puff up a bit, crack open the oven a little, and they should settle back down.

You can let the tarts cool for a couple minutes and enjoy them while they’re still hot.