Pandan Swiss roll cake recipe

Apologies for posting this recipe a little late. I've been busy running a series of basic Japanese cooking and sushi classes for the Irish Food Blogging Community. I'm also offering cooking classes from September to the public. If you're interested in attending one of my classes you can contact me on fionasjapanesecooking@gmail.com. I'm really enjoying this new venture and all the new challenges that come with it.

Ingredients:
4 eggs (preferably free range or organic) at room temperature
100g caster sugar
100g plain flour (sieved)
1 tbsp pandan extract
1 large pot of Avonmore whipped cream (add a few teaspoons of icing sugar and mix well)
Icing sugar for dusting

You'll need a Swiss roll tin (10" x 15"or 13" x 9")

Instructions: 

1. Preheat a fan oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar in an electric mixer for about 10 minutes until nice and fluffy.
3. Add a tablespoon of pandan extract and whisk again for less than a minute.
4. Using a large spoon fold the sieved flour into the mix. Make sure that the flour is completely mixed into the egg and sugar mix. 
5. Carefully line a baking tin with grease proof paper (I grease this lightly with butter).
6. Pour the batter onto the baking tin (using a spatula gently even out the batter).
7. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. 
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the baking tin. 
9. Turn the cake over onto a clean tea towel. Now carefully tear away the greaseproof paper from the cake.
10. Roll the cake in a clean tea towel and allow to cool (this will avoid it breaking later).
11. Unfold the cake when it is cool and spread the whipped cream mix evenly on the cake. 
12. Roll again and dust with icing sugar.
13. Put in the fridge until ready to eat. 

Have you ever heard of pandan?

I didn't really know anything about pandan until I met a Chinese lady at a party my sister was hosting last week. She brought a pandan swiss roll cake to the party so we got talking about what pandan is and how it is used in cooking and baking in Southeast Asia. Although it isn't really used in Japan I was very interested to learn about pandan and thought you'd find this post interesting.

Pandan is a leaf that's often called the vanilla of Southeast Asia. It has a beautiful smell and adds flavour and colour to dishes. 

Fresh pandan leaves are available in the Asian market in Dublin however depending on where you live it may be difficult to find them so you could use bottled pandan extract instead. I have to mention that it's not as nice as the homemade version and it contains some ingredients that I couldn't even attempt to pronounce!

I will post a recipe for pandan Swiss roll cake in the next few days. Here's my instructions for making homemade pandan extract.

You will need:

- Fresh pandan leaves

- Blender or a pestle and mortar
- Sieve
- Large bowl

- Water 

- Small container or jar with a lid

Method:

1. Wash the pandan leaves and cut off any parts that don't look fresh.

2. Chop the pandan leaves as finely as you can because the leaf is very tough and the blender will struggle with large pieces. 

3. Place the chopped pandan in a blender.

4. Pour some water into the blender to help blend the leaves together to form a paste (the water content should not go above the level of the chopped leaves.).

5. Blend until the chopped leaves are like a stringy green paste.  

6. Place a sieve over a large bowl and strain the pandan leaves through the sieve by pressing on the leaves or squeezing them. 

7. You'll see the dark green pandan extract sitting in the bowl below the sieve. Pour this into clean jam jars or any type of small container you can seal. 

8. Store in the fridge and stir before using as the most concentrated liquid will sink to the bottom.

These are just some of the health benefits associated with the pandan leaf:
- contains anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous properties
- soothes and heals various skin related problems
- chewing the leaf helps bad breath and improves the health of your gums
- helps with headaches, arthritis and stomach spasms
- heals various wounds
- helps women after giving birth with cramps and weakness 

Notes:
The pandan will lose some of its flavour if it's frozen so try to use fresh pandan extract.
Store in the fridge for a few days or a little more. 

ICE-CREAM WITH SUMMER BERRIES & SOY SAUCE

In an article in The Grocer, top chef Michael Roux Jr said that Kikkoman soy sauce is one of his store cupboard essential ingredients and that he sometimes puts a few drops in vanilla ice-cream. It's also one of my key store cupboard ingredients and you can see that I use it in most of the recipes that I post on this blog. 

The weather in Ireland is unpredictable so when the sun shines we tend to make the most of it by doing things like having barbecues. I find this dessert perfect to serve at a barbecue when you're entertaining people at home at the last minute as it's quick and most people love ice-cream.

INGREDIENTS:

Vanilla ice-cream

Mixed summer berries

Soy sauce (optional)

Matcha 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. If you'd like to be adventurous mix a few drops of soy sauce with the vanilla ice-cream.

2. Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon put 2 scoops of ice-cream into a wine glass. 

3. Toss a handful of washed mixed berries into the glass.

4. Sprinkle matcha over the ice-cream and berries.

RACHEL ALLEN'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH MATCHA

I came across this recipe listening to Rachel Allen on the radio a few weeks ago. During her interview she recommended this straightforward chocolate mousse recipe to one of the listeners who was looking for a simple dessert recipe. It took me less than 10 minutes to prepare this and remember that it needs to be chilled for 1-2 hours before eating!

I didn't add any alcohol and instead added half a teaspoon of matcha powder (see step 1 in the method below). I sprinkled matcha over the chocolate mousse and served with strawberries and cream lightly dusted with icing sugar. I got the shot glasses in the photo below in IKEA. 

In general portion sizes in Japan are much smaller than here in the West and desserts are no exception. Japanese people enjoy modern desserts however they have adapted them by adding ingredients such as matcha and beans. Traditional Japanese desserts are quite limited and are generally made from rice and beans so they tend to be healthier than modern desserts.

Ingredients

125ml (4½fl oz) double or regular cream
125g (4½oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped, or dark chocolate drops
1 tbsp brandy (optional)
2 eggs, separated

To decorate
Raspberries (optional)
Icing sugar (optional)

4–6 little bowls, glasses or cups 
Serves 8
Preparation Time - 10 minutes 
Cooking Time - 5 minutes, plus chilling 

Method 
1. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir just until it melts. Add the brandy or matcha powder (if using) and whisk in the egg yolks.
2. In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until just forming stiff peaks. Spoon a small amount of whisked egg whites into the chocolate and cream mixture, then carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites, just until combined.
3. Spoon into the bowls, glasses or cups and chill in the fridge for 1–2 hours or until set. Decorate with raspberries (if using) and a hint of icing sugar.

Japanese Twist on classic recipe: Matcha Simple Apple Tart

This is my St. Patrick's Day inspired recipe taken from chef Paul Flynn. It's a simple apple tart recipe that I love making this because it takes about 5 minutes to prepare and then another 15 minutes to cook in the oven. It's goes perfect with a cup of tea!

I sprinkled the apple tart with matcha just before serving and garnished with pecans and maple syrup instead of making the sweet sauce in Paul Flynn's recipe. 

 

INGREDIENTS: 

shop bought pre-rolled puff pastry
red apples (half an apple per portion)
icing sugar
50g chopped pecans

For the sweet sauce
40g castor sugar
100 ml water
200 ml cream
drizzle of maple syrup 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Unwrap the pastry and roll out on a chopping board. Cut into 10cm x 5cm rectangles. Prick the centre of the pastry, leaving a 1cm border around the edges unpricked.

2. Cut the apple in half and remove the core. Thinly slice the apple and spread out over the surface of the pastry. Dust liberally with icing sugar. 

 

3.. Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and caramelised.  

4. Toast the pecans in a dry non-stick pan and transfer to a bowl. 

5. Place a thin layer of caster sugar in the pan and allow caramelising on a medium heat. Add a little water and dissolve the caramel. Return the pecans to the pan with the caramel syrup. Add cream and maple syrup. Bring to the boil then allow to cool slightly before serving.

Note:
For information on how to make matcha and where to buy it click here.