Pompompurin's Valentine's Day Marshmallows

 I couldn't resist making these after making pineapple tart marshmallows for class display!

I used reduced fresh pineapple juice to make these reduced sugar marshmallows so they smell and taste heavenly! I used meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites too so the batter overall was less robust and prone to breaking down faster than fresh egg white and full sugar versions. I mentioned earlier that using meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites doesn't make a difference when making character marshmallows. After using meringue powder for a longer time, I find that this is true for water, tea and coffee based marshmallows. When using fruit puree, using fresh egg whites will yield a more stable batter that doesn't deflate too quickly when melted gelatin is added so I will likely stick with fresh egg whites when fruit puree is used. Nonetheless, this method still works if you are able to work quickly and the characters are 2D.

I melted some red marshmallows in storage, set them in a tray and cut out little red hearts for Pompompurin to hug. As I wanted this to be an interactive type of marshmallow where the heart is removable and the arms can flap around a little, the arms are piped on a separate tray and stuck onto the main body.

Piped Pompompurins without the arms

You may see the process of piping these in the reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE4eGq4S_Eu/?igsh=N3kwaWlydDFoemY3

with love,

Phay Shing

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Yuzu Matcha Wintermelon Mochi Tarts

 Inspired by the filling of wife biscuits (老婆饼) & the pastry of pineapple tarts during the Lunar New Year season, I came up with these!

A closer look at the insides!

It was a challenge to get nice pictures of a bite cross-section because the pastry is light and crumbly. I have shared the recipe and video of the process on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFJTQ1ghkpm/?igsh=MTh6aGJkeDJwZnRh

But I will just copy and paste the recipe and baker's notes on this blog post for those of you who find it hard to read off the captions of the reel. Feel free to upsize as this is a small batch.

Yuzu Matcha Wintermelon Mochi Tarts 

(makes about 25 tarts)

Filling:
100g candied wintermelon (糖冬瓜)* blended or minced
1/8 tsp salt
6g oil
4g honey
20g yuzu/Jeju citron* marmalade without rind
25g water* (more if necessary, 1/2 tsp at a time)
40g cooked glutinous rice flour* (a.k.a. 糕粉)
2g matcha powder*
12g yuzu/citron rind from marmalade, finely chopped

Pastry:
110g plain flour 
10g cornstarch 
6g matcha powder
20g milk powder
25g icing sugar
1/8 tsp salt
100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg yolk

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
7g milk/water

1. Blend or mince candied wintermelon. Add salt, oil, honey, marmalade & water. Mix well

2. Whisk together cooked glutinous rice flour & matcha powder. Add to 1. & mix until dough forms

3. Add rind & mix well. Add more water if dough is dry*

4. Divide filling into 8g balls. Keep airtight & refrigerate until ready to assemble

5. Sift together all dry ingredients for pastry

6. Rub in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

7. Add yolk. Mix until dough forms. Wrap & refrigerate for 30min

8. Divide dough into 10g portions. Wrap the filling. Make a hole to vent* during baking

9. Freeze & preheat oven to 135C fan/150C

10. Once oven is preheated, place chilled tarts on lined baking tray. Apply egg wash. Add black sesame seeds if you wish

11. Bake for 30 min or until lightly browned, rotating the tray halfway. You may reapply the egg wash halfway through baking if you wish. Remember to adjust baking temperature and time according to your oven as each oven is different. 

*Baker's notes:

🔸Candied wintermelon, cooked glutinous rice flour and yuzu/Jeju citron marmalade are most likely things you can find in an Asian grocer if you don't live in Asia. These are common items in Singapore. If you can't get cooked glutinous rice flour, simply dry fry glutinous rice flour over low heat for 10 min until aromatic. There's a distinctive cooked glutinous rice flour smell you can't miss

🔸I was given some high grade matcha powder from @alovelikesobo but you may use whatever you have on hand. Do note that lower quality matcha may oxidize with exposure/heat and the green colour may be less vibrant after baking. Needless to say, higher quality powder would taste better

🔸The amount of water needed for the filling will vary depending on how dry your candied wintermelon is. Err on the side of adding less water first because it can get difficult to handle if too much water is added and it becomes a sticky mess. Add enough water such that it's still soft and tacky to touch but doesn't stick to your finger when lightly pressed as shown in the reel

🔸I went for a slightly firmer pastry than regular pineapple tart pastry but still crumbly as the filling is slightly chewy due to the glutinous rice flour. Personally I feel if the pastry is too delicate, it wouldn't fit this filling but feel free to adjust the ratios of the dry ingredients in the pastry. The higher the percentage of cornstarch, the more delicate the pastry

🔸Traditional wife biscuits are made with flaky pastry that doesn't use butter. I decided to have a light buttery pastry to accompany the aromatic and slightly chewy filling. Slits or holes are usually made in the flaky pastry before baking. They act as vents to release steam from the filling, which in turn prevents the pastry from cracking uncontrollably. Don't be alarmed if you see your tart pastry cracking in the oven as this is due to the expansion of filling/ release of steam. The appearance of the cracks will reduce upon cooling. Using lower heat with longer baking time helps to keep cracking minimal

with love,

Phay Shing

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Diabetic-Friendly Pineapple Tarts with Prebiotics Added

I have some family members and friends who are diabetic so I thought of making some pineapple tarts they can enjoy without feeling guilty about it or worry about side effects of sugar replacements. To do so, I replaced some sugar with prebiotic fibres to make these!

Here's a closer look at the snake on top

A peek at a bite cross-section!

My hubby with picky palate can attest that these are yummy 😋 . I made some sugar-free pineapple tarts last year with totally no sugar added at all in the jam. You can read all about it over here where I share two types of tart designs, open-faced and the golf ball. The recipe I share for this year's tarts can be applied to both types of pineapple tarts although you should handle the open-faced version with care as the pastry is rather delicate. Please read the baker's notes* at end where I explain in detail technical aspects and substitutions you can use.

What's so good about the tarts?

✅ No stevia
✅ No alcohol sugars
✅ Real sugar optional
✅ Prebiotic added for lower glycemic load, benefits to gut health & cholesterol 
✅ Light, buttery, crumbly tart pastry

You may wonder does Alchemy Fibre impart any unpleasant taste. It doesn't! It tastes mildly sweet on its own without any chemical aftertaste.

I am not sponsored to share the use of Alchemy Fibre. I am sharing because it's a good product and has shown not to increase the blood sugar levels for my loved one when the pastries are eaten in moderation.

Diabetic-friendly pineapple tarts (🐍 optional)

(makes about 22-30 tarts so feel free to upsize)

Healthier Pineapple Jam*
1 large pineapple, cubed, blended & excess juice sieved out, about 475g for me
1 large apple (I used Gala for some natural sweetness and pectin), blended
20g Alchemy fibre* (omit or replace with sugar)
30g caster sugar* (omit if you wish)
A squeeze of lemon juice (optional, add more if you prefer sour jam)
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of salt

Steps:
1. Reduce jam till 30% original weight over med-low heat & constant stirring (or use Thermomix). Discard cinnamon stick. This results in 1-1.5g sugar per tart if you follow my original recommendations of sugar & fibre

2. Cool completely. Refrigerate overnight uncovered for extra moisture to evaporate

3. Portion into 8-9g balls

Tart Pastry*:
45g plain flour or cake flour*
20g cornstarch or gluten-free flour*
8g full fat milk powder
8g Alchemy fibre* (may replace with icing sugar)
1/8 tsp salt
45g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
A little milk if dough is too crumbly*

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk + 7g milk

Steps:
1. Sift together flours, salt, fibre & milk powder

2. Rub in butter until breadcrumb texture

3. Add yolk. Mix until dough forms. Add milk if necessary

4. Roll to 5mm thick. Freeze for 10-15min. Preheat oven to 150C fan/165C 

5. Lightly dust surface of dough with cornstarch. Stamp out pastry with mold. Place 3cm apart on lined baking tray

6. Apply egg wash. Press a ball of jam in the middle 

You can make the snakes* if you wish but these are rather fiddly and tests your fine motor skills!

7. Bake for 25-30 min or until golden brown. Baking the tarts low and slow will prevent huge cracks from forming

8. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. Toast it lightly before consuming to recrisp if stored in fridge

*Baker's Notes: 
🔸Alchemy Fibre is a blend of inulin & edible gum. It's a prebiotic that has beneficial effects for gut health, lowers cholesterol & reduces the glycemic load of the food it's added to. You may substitute with inulin if you don't have access to this product, or simply replace with sugar

🔸I decided to use a little sugar in the jam & not include stevia or any alcohol sugars in the whole bake to avoid any gastrointestinal side effects. You may omit the sugar if you wish. I decided to add a little real sugar to improve the jam texture. I made it totally without sugar last year & although it's nice & healthy, it's a little less jammy in texture 

🔸Adding some Alchemy Fibre doesn't affect the final texture of the tart but the dough is more crumbly & less pliable so it's a little trickier to handle. Because of this, I made the snakes using dough made with icing sugar instead of Alchemy fibre but the tart base is made with the fibre added & no sugar. You may use the same dough for making golf ball type of tarts too if you don't have the plunger mold. Use 10g dough for each golf ball tart.

🔸Use plain flour instead of cake flour if you prefer a sturdier pastry. The gluten-free flour I used is from Bob's Red Mill. You may use cornstarch if you wish as it's commonly used in typical pineapple tart pastry along with wheat flour.

🔸I used black sesame seeds for the snake eyes & Goji berry skin for the tongue. Shaping done by hand, toothpick & Dresden tool. I used a pair of small sharp scissors and knife to cut the snake tongue out of Goji berry. I didn't weigh the amount of dough for the snakes but I estimate it at around 3-4g. 
 

You may watch the video of making the tarts over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEzUcTiSgv7/?igsh=MzYxYzhqeWFsYXlu

I guided my elder kid to make some golf ball type of tarts that didn't use Alchemy fibre (but used icing sugar in the dough and used store-bought pineapple jam)  so that's where I "borrowed" a little dough from to make the snakes on top.

These were seriously good according to my kid's classmates!

with love,

Phay Shing

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Passionfruit Honey Vanilla Reduced-Sugar Snake Marshmallows

 Someone asked privately if the sugar content in my default marshmallow recipe in Deco Marshmallows can be reduced. My first thought was wouldn't it affect the stability and simply be essentially a volume reduction? I decided to give it a try anyway. Here's what I made to welcome the Year of the Snake!

Passionfruit honey vanilla marshmallows that are more tangy than sweet and full of passionfruit flavour!

A closer look at the kawaii version!

While reducing sugar did make the marshmallow batter softer to work with, it also did make it a little more unstable as expected so one has to work quickly and adjust the process a little to make it work. What's more significant is the reduction of invert sugar. I reduced the amount of invert sugar (can be light corn syrup, glucose syrup, dark corn syrup, golden syrup or honey) just enough to prevent sugar crystallization. The resulting marshmallow tends to be less sticky in humid Singapore's air, which is a plus point for me!

Here are the piped snakes before dusting.

This design is inspired by clarakitchen21 (Youtube channel)

They are super fun to play with especially the long snake which can slither!

Piping tutorials are on my Instagram.

Long snake piping tutorial:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEeuHtpSlOX/?igsh=YmJmbXIxYmg1aW9m

Kawaii snake piping tutorial:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEj3vf0S5Lp/?igsh=c20ydnp3ZXE4amY2

Do give these a try to welcome the Year of the Snake!

P.S. If you are interested to know about my reduced sugar recipe, I will be sharing it in my upcoming studio marshmallow class for mandarin orange and pineapple tarts that will delight (and fool 🤭) your family and friends this Lunar New Year!

with love,

Phay Shing

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