9.16.2014

香草牛肉捲 Beef Sausage Roll Recipe

Beef Sausage Roll

在澳洲每個星期五的晚餐常常都是牛肉捲,因為星期五晚上幾乎都有足球比賽的電視轉播,而D爸喜歡一邊吃著Sausage Roll一邊看比賽。不過D爸做的Sausage Roll裡面沒有Sausage只有牛肉,D說可能是形狀像Sausage! 通常D爸還會做些馬鈴薯泥跟蒸青豆一起搭配食用,真的很好吃所以分享做法給大家^^

四人份食材
牛肉捲皮 – Puff Pastry : 4 25cmx25cm
                – Egg Yolk : 2
類似千層派皮,烤過之後是又鬆又酥的口感。

牛肉捲餡 – Beef Mince : 1kg
                – Onion : 2
                – Mixed Herbs : 2~3茶匙
                – Bread Crumb : 3~4茶匙
                – Salt : 1~2茶匙
牛絞肉可以買帶一點油脂的,烤過之後才不會太乾柴。Mixed Herbs可用其它香料取代,例如荷蘭芹(洋香菜Parsley)、羅勒(Basil)

馬鈴薯泥 – Potato : 6
                – Butter : 3~4湯匙

牛肉捲食材


1.洋蔥切成丁狀與牛肉、綜合香草混合,視牛肉團的溼度加入麵包粉,因為如果太溼會影響皮的口感,感覺牛肉不會黏手就可以了。最後依個人喜好調整鹹度,我們習慣沾著番茄醬吃,所以不會放太多鹽。牛肉餡準備完成,放著備用。
 *如果有多的馬鈴薯也可以切小丁加入(1),會讓牛肉捲吃起來更綿密,不過要盡量切小丁,因為馬鈴薯不易熟。

牛肉捲內餡食材

洋蔥切成丁狀與牛肉、綜合香草與麵包粉混合


2. Puff Pastry買回來通常都是冷凍著,先把整疊()在室溫放15~20分鐘,然後試著慢慢一張一張分開,每張面皮下方的紙記得一起留著!

牛肉捲外皮 - Puff Pastry

3.Pastry退冰到可以捲的程度時,將牛肉餡(步驟1)等分成四分,平均橫放於餅皮的中間。

牛肉餡等分成四分,平均橫放於餅皮的中間

4.將下方的餅皮往上捲,然後餅皮與紙分開。接著利用底下的紙將餅皮整個往上捲,再把餅皮與紙分開,兩端開口可以用手壓合。先在牛肉捲中間切一刀,在2小塊中間再切一刀成4小份。
 *刀子在切之前可以沾些水,這樣麵皮比較不會沾黏在刀子上。

捲牛肉捲步驟 a.b.c.d

牛肉捲兩端開口可以用手壓合

5.將牛肉捲放入鋪好烘培紙的烤盤,因為烤了之後餅皮會有一點膨脹,所以每塊之間要留點空隙,大約1~2公分。
 *沒有烘培紙也沒關係,可以在烤盤上刷一層奶油,這樣就不會沾黏了。只是烤盤會比較難清洗。

將牛肉捲放入鋪好烘培紙的烤盤每塊之間要留點空隙

6.用叉子或牙籤在每個牛肉捲上方戳幾個洞,烤的時候餅皮不會失控的變型。接著用刷子在表面刷上蛋黃就可以了。
 *如果用全蛋建議用打蛋器打勻,比較好刷上喔!


每個牛肉捲上方戳洞並在表面刷上蛋黃





















7.此時可以先將馬鈴薯削好皮泡在水中,另一邊準備一鍋水煮至沸騰。如果有冷凍青豆或花椰菜也可以一起準備好。
 *可以將馬鈴薯切成小塊,大約食指與大拇指圈起來的大小,比較容易煮軟。如果要水煮其他蔬菜建議準備另一鍋沸水,這樣馬鈴薯泥才不會有其他蔬菜的味道!


8.烤箱200℃預熱10分鐘後,牛肉捲烤30~35分鐘就完成了。
  *因為每台烤箱的火力大小不一,所以觀察牛肉捲表皮烤至金黃時,可以拿一小塊切開試試。

烤箱200℃預熱10分鐘後,牛肉捲烤30~35分鐘


9.牛肉捲放入烤箱同時也將馬鈴薯放入沸水中開始煮至鬆軟,然後將馬鈴薯搗成泥,在加入奶油均勻攪拌,又綿又鬆軟的馬鈴薯泥就完成了!。因為青豆跟花椰菜很容易就煮軟,所以等最後10分鐘在下鍋水煮。
 *沒有加牛奶的馬鈴薯泥會比較濃稠,跟牛肉捲一起吃超對味的!

將馬鈴薯搗成泥,加入奶油均勻攪拌


10.最後將牛肉捲從烤盤取出,接著擺好盤就可以上桌了^^


將牛肉捲從烤盤取出,擺好盤就可以上桌了































也許第一次做會覺得有些複雜,但是只要每個步驟慢慢來,一定都可以做出令家人驚喜又特別的晚餐!


5.31.2014

Australia Perth - Swan Valley & Yahava Coffee & Chocolate Company & Windarra Honey

Swan Valley, WA 03.05.2014 

Beautiful view across West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

Swan Valley is located in the northeast of Perth, Western Australia. The atmosphere here is very fresh, natural and relaxing. It is really a beautiful and nice part of town. There are fields and fields of vineyards, cattle and sheep wandering in grasslands, not to mention the boundless sky. Inevitably you will have a refreshed and great mood when here!

Windarra Honey, Margaret River Chocolate Factory and Yahava Coffee on West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth

The Chocolate Factory, Yahava Coffee and Windarra Honey are the three places we always visit when coming here. Of course, there's also a lot of wineries, orchards, animal farms and restaurants. If you want to get away from the city's bustle, this is a great place!


The Margaret River Chocolate Company, on West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

This chocolate factory is the same company as the one at Margaret River. The style and items they sell are very similar, and both are very famous. The special thing is that there are three different pots, filled with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate - for unlimited tasting!

Free Dark, Milk and White chocolate tasting - The Margaret River Chocolate Factory, in Swan Valley, Western Australia

They sell more than a hundred kinds of chocolate, and launch new chocolate products regularly. I was very satisfied just looking at these colorful packages. All kinds of chocolates with beautiful packaging, and suitable as gifts, but the prices are not cheap though!

Beautiful Chocolate selections at The Margaret River Chocolate Factory, in Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

They also have fresh chocolates, and every one is so pretty and cute - they should be very tasty! Also there are handmade ice creams which look very delicious, and a small coffee shop. People can order freshly made coffee, chocolate, cakes or biscuits, and then sit outdoors and observe the beautiful view and sky while enjoying the foods! They also have a large glass window so you can watch the chefs make the chocolate if you time it right.

Fresh chocolate, including preparation and cooking, icecream and the cafe at The Margaret River Chocolate Factory

After the chocolate factory we drove north, and along the road you can see the sign: "Honey Free Tasting". Just follow the advertising board and you will arrive at the Windarra Honey shop (5 George St., off West Swan Road, in Swan Valley). This is an adorable shop. Although they don't have fancy decor, and no overcomplicated packaging, their products are really outstanding and about the highest quality in the world! People from all over Asia buy loads of their honey, and a Hong Kong customer once bought 20kg and took nothing else in his luggage when going home!


Windarra Honey, on George St, off West Swan Road, in Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

This was the second time we went there, and D was very surprised that they didn't raise the price in nearly two years! The boss was very enthusiastic, and invited us to try a variety of honey. We could tell that he was quite confident about their products. They tasted very strong and pure, and had the fragrance of flowers. They didn't have any kind of sugary or watery taste like many supermarket honey's, and were totally natural. We bought four 1kg cartons which were 3 different kinds: Black Butt, Redgum and Wild Flower.

Honey tasting and products at Windarra Honey, on George St, off West Swan Road, in Swan Valley, Western Australia

In addition, we tried mead - the honey drink, and real honeycomb. The mead didn't have any alcohol taste but had a honey fragrance, and it was easy to drink and went down smoothly. That was my first taste of the honeycomb, and the boss said the wax was edible, or you could just throw it out after chewing it. It was very special to me!

REAL Honeycomb, bees and products at Windarra Honey, on George St, off West Swan Road, Perth, Western Australia

There were many other honey products, such as hand creams, lotions, candles and soaps. The boss let me try the hand cream, and it was very moist but not greasy. Their creams are all made of natural ingredients with nothing artificial, so they were very helpful for dry and sensitive skin!

Honey Drinks and creams at Windarra Honey, 5 George St, off West Swan Road, in Swan Valley, Western Australia

The boss was very humble and frank. His only goal is to offer the best quality honey to his customers, so he doesn't has a big advertising sign, and he grows business just by word of mouth. He said that there was a Chinese businessman who wanted to buy out all of his honey, but he didn't wish to do that at all. He cared more about his customers who really like his honey, and who would be willing to drive personally to buy from him. He is really a rare and good farmer!

Yahava Coffee on West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

Next we went south to Yahava Coffee, where they also had free coffee tasting. You could tell them what kind of coffee you like, or you could ask them to recommend according to your preferences. Then they would make the fresh coffee right in front of you to taste! Their knowledge and coffee brewing techniques were quite professional!

Freshly made free coffee tasting at Yahava Coffee on West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

They have as many as 12 kinds of coffee to choose from. I don't have any particular preferences or know much about coffee, so I bought 3 bags of Black Gold coffee as gifts for my friends and family. They sell coffee in beans where they can ground them for you, or you can go home and enjoy the fun of grounding beans yourself. If you tell the clerk the coffee is to be taken overseas, they will use another kind of sealed plastic bag to keep the smell from spreading to your luggage - very sweet!

Black Gold coffee, bagged and ready, at Yahava Coffee on West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

They also sell mugs, coffee pots, coasters and other merchandise. There is a small cafe and outdoor dining area. It's very nice for having a cup of great coffee while sitting over the grass and observing the lake, vineyards and beautiful sky. Really quite a nice scene!

Inside Yahava Coffeeworks on West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia

Margaret River also has the same Yahava Coffee, and both are very popular and famous in WA. Many people in Perth drive all the way over here in the northeast just for their coffee. Because of their coffee I started to drink coffee and gradually like it more. For the people who like coffee it is highly recommended!



5.21.2014

Travel for travelling - Bali - Gloria Jean's Coffee & Discovery Shopping Mall Kuta & Denpasar International Airport

Seminyak 25.03.2014

Starbucks in Kuta and Ubud, in Bali, Indonesia
I was impressed by the level of development in Seminyak. And I will miss the nice people and the natural beauty of Ubud. Bali is a good place to have holiday, because you can enjoy relaxing and a paradise to exploreThis was the last day of the trip, and our plane took off at ten o'clock at night.


Gloria Jean's Coffee, near Kuta Square, in Kuta, Bali
About midday we checked-out of our hotel and caught a taxi to Kuta city. We just stopped at a cafe and had some rest. Gloria Jean's Coffee was located near the Kuta Square roundabout, and they had the the special Häagen-Dazs ice cream! We chose the salty caramel flavor, and I really liked the combined taste of sweet and salty. It was also very creamy. This cafe had very good WiFi, and the decoration of the second floor was great. They used warm colors and simple patterns, and it was pretty and cute in design! They also had very comfortable sofasso we hung out there for the whole afternoon.

Inside second floor of Gloria Jean's coffee near Kuta Square, Bali
We ordered a pot of green tea, a chocolate muffin and a cup of mocha. D liked chocolate the muffin very much and even ordered another one later on! My mocha was full of cream, and I was very excited when I saw it! It tasted beautiful^^

Green Tea, Chocolate muffin and Mocha with cream, at Gloria Jeans Coffee near Kuta Square, Bali
After a little break, I walked to the Discovery Shopping Mall which was on Jl. Kartika Plaza. Discovery was the most fancy department store in Kuta, and you could see many boutiques here, but the price was not that special. Their decor was very new and had an orderly store design, and it was also very comfortable and cozy to stroll around!

Discovery Shopping Mall on Jl. Kartika Plaza, in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
On the other side of the Discovery Shopping Mall was a beautiful beach. Walking around and seeing the special local architecture and observing the nice ocean view was such a wonderful thing to do here! It was really enjoyable to have meal in this romantic atmosphere and with the beautiful scenery here! Magnificent!
Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia
We bought a Big Mac meal set from McDonald's for dinner. The fast food restaurants here all provided free chili sauce, because it was one of the necessities to Indonesians, and I liked their chili sauce too. The chili sauce was not really hot, instead it was like sweet chili sauce, and it went with chips very well! The Big Mac burger tasted good and similar to Taiwan's, and the price for one set was about US$4.

About 6 o'clock we took a taxi to the airport. It was charged by mileage this time, and 
from Matahari Kuta Square to Denpasar airport was about US$4.20. There was little traffic on the way, but it became smoother once we got out of Kuta city.

Upon entering the airport we saw a very long queue, and we realized that people had to go 
through security checks before go into the airport. Mainly to check there were no weapons or dangerous objects (because the flight MH370 had just gone missing). When we were close to the security gate, after waiting for about 20 minutes, we noticed there was another checking gate on the right hand side which was not very far away, and less people were queuing there.  There was a foreign couple in front of us who were stopped because they were carrying two bottles of wine. They said only the wine bottle in a sealed bag can be brought into the airport.

Visitors must pay 
US$25 before entering into Bali, before the customs desk, and also had to pay departure tax in rupiah of 150,000 (US$15) per person when leaving. It was quite tricky and certainly an extra cost in the holiday! After that we went through the security scan again, and everything was going smoothly. This airport was not that huge, and maybe some parts were still under construction, because it didn't look quite complete. But the airport looked quite magnificent and beautiful from outside!

Our flight was at 
ten o'clock at night, and so we thought it wouldn't have too many passenger. But there were swarms of people there! The boarding place was also full of people, and there was one more security check before boarding! They required everyone to open luggage for inspection, but there were so many people that they ended up not doing it very well. I think they just paid lip service to their job after a while, because they didn't really check very carefully. So after 5 minutes on the shuttle bus we finally saw our aircraft !

The new Denpasar Airport in Bali, Indonesia (2014)
We were actually quite happy to come home by the end. Although Bali had an enjoyable atmosphere for a holiday and also the tasty exotic cuisine, eight days for the trip was enough! We were relaxed to return to the warmth of our sweet home! ^ ^

5.16.2014

Travel for travelling - Bali - Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel & COCO Supermarket & Burger King

Seminyak 24.03.2014

Free Buffet Breakfast at Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel

One of the joyful things during travel is when you wake up in morning and there is a delicious and hot breakfast waiting for you! Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel served buffet breakfast every morning, and although it was not particularly fancy food, they had quite a lot of choices and friendly service. Simple tastes can be very enjoyable!

Free Buffet Breakfast at Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel

We had four different styles of fried rice and noodles when we were here for 4 days. My favorite was the Indonesian style fried rice and rice noodles, and the others were not bad. They offered many kids of vegetables, like baked potatoes, grilled tomatoes, stir fried broccoli and chips. For bread they had white and whole wheat toast, croissants, and if you like hot croissants they also can help you to heat it up. 
For western guests they served cheese, cold ham slices, two kinds of sausages and baked beans, and cereals and milk as well. There was a tropical fruit platter which had papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe and rambutan etc., and also 2~3 kinds of fresh juice. They had a hot water pot and tea bags, but only a few varieties. There was a coffee machine which supplied Good Day latte coffee, D liked it because it was very sweet!

Fried rice and noodles, croissants and banana pancake at Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel

Every morning everyone can order one kind of egg dish from the kitchen. They didn't have a menu so we just ordered based on experience, and had soft boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets and sunny side up eggs. However, we heard someone ordered a banana pancake on the third day when we were having breakfast, which we didn't realize was available! We took the opportunity on the last day of course, and the banana pancake tasted really delicious!

Our beautiful second floor room at Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel, in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel had two kinds of rooms. The first one was located on the first (ground) floor, and you can access the pool from the balcony in this suite. Our room was the other kind which was a Superior Suit and located on the second floor. Although there was no direct access to the pool, it was very nice and quiet. There was a small living room with a comfortable sofa, and a kitchenette with a complete set of cookware. There were also utensils and cutlery, but they were not all clean!
The bathroom was very bright, clean and beautiful. They had two kinds of showers. One of them poured down directly from the ceiling, and it was quite refreshing and special to us! We noticed that the toilets of both hotels all had a small showers next to it, which I thought was for cleaning the toilet, but D said it was for cleaning the thing that Japanese people like to clean after the toilet. So it was like a manual bidet toilet. We were very happy to have the large room space with new equipment anyway!

Our beautiful bathroom at Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel
They also had room cleaners come by every day, who washed and replaced our glasses, cups, plates and towels. They provided two bottles of mineral water every day, and a small bag of toiletries. They included shower gel, shampoo, body lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, cotton swabs, a shower cap and a comb. If you don't like the stuff they provided just buy from the cosmetic shops, as they sell small packages of daily necessities and all very cheap!

Coco Supermarket in Ubud and Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
COCO supermarket was our favorite supermarket here, as it was a good place to buy fruits, drinks and snacks. Perhaps they had a lot of stuff that we had never seen before, because it made us so curious! They also had a lot of different chocolates here, and one of them was  white Toblerone chocolate which I had never seen before! Their instant noodles were quite nice and very fragrant, and there was a kind of noodles with gold packaging which was very delicious, both with its tasty sauce and its great noodles! Of the drinks, there was a rhino packaged bottled water which was very special. Although it had no particular flavor, there were some herbal ingredients which can cool you down and are good for your heath. They also had other fruit flavors, like lychee, strawberry, orange and lemon. Our local friend also said it was a healthy drink when she saw us drinking the can!

Great Rhino drinks, Silver Queen candy and Chitato chips at COCO Supermarket in Bali, Indonesia
We didn't go anywhere in particular this day, and only met a local friend at Burger King at Sunset Point. Burger King had a buy one get one for free special during the snack time which was from 3:00pm to 5:00pm on Monday to Friday. We bought two beef cheese burgers with 2 cups of small Coke, and the total amount was less than US$4! The burger was quite small but not bad.


5.11.2014

Travel for travelling - Bali - Mamasan Restaurant & J.CO DONUTS and COFFEE & Seminyak Square

Seminyak 23.03.2014

Cattle hanging around in the farm in Seminyak, Bali

Sunset Road divides Seminyak into two contrasting sides. The left hand/west side has a prosperous and bustling with life downtown. You can find the latest fashion, great tasting and gourmet food. It was just like an all day city! The right hand/east side was half-developed residential areas. Although there were quite a number of nice villas and beautiful hotels, they were just right next to fields or farm so that you could see cattle and chickens running around. And more than half of the street had gravel road instead of paved concrete.

Seminyak map - Sunset Poink, Mama San Restaurant and Semiyak Square

After breakfast D went to the gym for weight training, and I stayed in our room listening to music while working. It was so good to just relax without going anywhere, and to relieve the fatigue of the previous few days, and I really enjoyed it ! The specialty of Seminyak Lagoon Hotel was the swimming pool, so we were looking forward to giving it a try after D finished his weight training!

Swimming pool of Seminyak Lagoon All Suites Hotel


We saw the staff cleaning the pool in the morning, so the water was very clean and there was no heavy bleach smell. At that time, we were the only two people swimming in this beautiful and quiet exclusive pool. It was great!

The only mission on that day was to celebrate D's birthday. We both had a fulfilling and leisurely morning, and it was time to reveal the center of Seminyak and find some great food for birthday dinner! We found a massage shop that was US $ 5.50 per hour - incredibly cheap! D decided to give it a try immediately. He took a foot massage for one hour and I chose the full body massage. But you get what you pay for. The girls' massage skills and strength were great, but the room facilities could be better. I'd rather spend a little bit more money to have a better environment, so I could fully relax and enjoy. But still this was very good if you want to save money or have a longer massage!

Mama San restaurant in Seminyak, Bali

Quite a lot of people recommended Mama San restaurant on internet websites, and some of them even said that it is the best restaurant in Bali! That was the reason we decided to have the birthday celebration there. Their decorations were interesting, combining retro and modern in two contrasting styles. The first floor was decorated in retro style, with furnishings that were normal height tables and chairs. The second floor was a modern luxury style, however they furnished it with low tables and low sofas. Because we didn't book in advance and only the sofa area was available on the second floor, we had to put up with that.


Interior view of Mama San restaurant in Seminyak, Bali

We ordered crispy duck again which was called "Crispy duck with pickled mustard green choy sum & green chilli nahm jihm" and a salad called "Chicken & prawn eggmett with coconut caramel mint beansprouts peanuts pickled relish". Their meals all had such long names!

Their crispy duck was really gourmet. They served the fried duck with a special sauce which tasted a little bit sweet and sour. It also had bok choy and sauerkraut instead of the other spicy local dishes we had had, which I prefer. The duck skin was very crispy, even when soaked in the sauce, and the duck meat was tender and juicy. The homemade sauce made it taste especially good. It was super delicious! The meal didn't come with rice, but I suggest you order some!


Moreover, the salad was also very special. The salad was mixed with flossed pork, bean sprouts, chicken, shrimp and mint leaves, then wrapped in the pan fried egg. The dish was a successful combination and tasted very refreshing, not to mention it looked beautiful! We were very satisfied with the food and service, and the atmosphere was very good. But the short tables here were really not suitable for dining, and the light was very dim, with only candlelight, so you could barely see the food . Also smoking was sadly permitted upstairs.

Crispy duck and chicken&Prawn eggmett of Mama San restaurant in Seminyak, Bali

After that we went for a walk along Jl. Kayu Aye to Seminyak Square. There were many clothing and shoe stores with all kind of styles, and most of them were individual designers' own brands. However the prices were quite high. The restaurants there were also dazzling. It was just like a small international village, where they had Italian, Chinese, Indonesia, American and French styles.

Seminyak Square was different from what I expected. In fact, there were less shops than I expected, and on that day there didn't seem to be many visitors either. We only took a look at the supermarket and left.



Jl. Kayu Aye and Seminyak Square

On the way home, we saw a Cafe - J.CO (JCOCCINO) at Sunset Point, so we went to see if they had the birthday cake that D liked They did not sell cakes but donuts and drinks, and we bought a yogurt ice cream and six cute donuts. The ice cream was good, and we were able to choose three kinds of toppings, so D chose the Oreo, orange and a sort of green candy. Although the toppings didn't match each other, they went with the ice cream very well. The green candy was very tasty actually, with a rock melon flavor and a mochi texture. So it was interesting and special! 

The donuts were very delicious, probably because we liked sweet taste very much ... They had a lot of designs and flavors, and each one was so cute! The worker recommended durian flavor, so we got one, however it didn't have a heavy smell of durian and was actually quite yum! My favorite one was tiramisu flavor.


J.CO DONUTS & COFFEE at sunset point in Seminyak, Bali

The streets were very dark in the night, when we walked back to our hotel. They had street lights but they were a bit far away from each other. Under the lights they had a lot of gravel roads, so it was better and safer to have a flashlight. Also that way you could see the road clearly and avoid animal poo. We had encountered a group of cattle in the night hanging around the side of the road, and a group of dogs barking at the intersection like they were just having a party! It was a bit scary, but actually they were all just pretty harmless animals who didn't care about us.