Leche Lombard, a medieval date roll, with a Chinese-style bonus!

Leche Lombard is a medieval English recipe on page 133 in A Taste of History by Maggie Black.  I made this dish once before, years ago, and recalled how much I enjoyed it.  When I came across the recipe again, I took the opportunity to make it.

ISBN 0-7141-1788-9

The word "leche" implies that something is thickened.  In this case, a spiced date puree is thickened with egg yolks and bread crumbs, turning it into finger food, and served as an appetizer or a dessert.  It is not hard to make, especially if you have modern kitchen tools like a stick blender or a food processor.  If you want to go more "medieval", you can use a mortar and pestle.

In this case, I was taking it to a social gathering where I knew the people would be willing to try something new.  

Leche Lumbard -- Date Slices with Spiced Wine

1 3/4 pound dates, pits removed

3/4 pint medium-dry white wine

3 ounces light soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

6 hard-boiled egg yolks

about 6 ounces soft brown bread crumbs **have more on hand just in case**

3 - 4 tablespoons Madeira heated with a pinch of mixed spices

My bread crumbs were not brown, but they were soft.

Break up the dates and simmer with the wine and sugar until pulpy.  Pound or put through a food processor until almost smooth.  Mix in the spices and sieve or work in the egg yolks.  In a bowl, knead in enough breadcrumbs to make the mixture as stiff as marzipan.  Form it into a 2 inch (5 cm) diameter roll, and chill until firm.  Cut into 1/4 inch slices.  Arrange in overlapping lines on a plate, and trickle a drop or two of cooled, spiced wine over each slice.

My Notes

This recipe and a different redaction of it, is also found on page 138 of Fabulous Feasts by Madeleine Pelner Cosman.  That is how I knew the original name, which is not part of A Taste of History.

Here are the pictures of cooking the dates "until pulpy."

Ready to cook.

Pulpy.

I used a stick blender to puree the dates in the pan:

Smooth enough!

Just for fun, I pounded the bread in the mortar and sieved it until it was little bits.  I also pushed the egg yolks through a sieve until it was tiny pieces.

Then I mixed everything together well.  It wasn't as stiff as I wanted or as I recalled when I made it previously, but I was out of breadcrumbs.  I had to take it as it was and hope for the best.

So I rolled into a log shape and wrapped it in waxed paper for chilling.

About 2 inches in diameter and 15 inches long.

This fit on a tray in my refrigerator.

It didn't firm up as much as I had hoped, even after 4 hours of chilling.  But I sliced it anyways and arranged it on a serving platter with the spiced wine on top.

The Verdict

They were sticky but not terribly so.  I could pick up a slice and eat it without losing much or any along the way.  I liked them -- the texture was interesting, the flavor was spices and dates and richness.  It was not too sweet, and the wine seemed to add a more "adult-like" feel to this dessert.

The people at the gathering I attended enjoyed it.  One thought it was good enough that maybe it was "healthy", which made me laugh.  No, not really, but it was fun to think so.  Most pieces were gone by the end of the evening and the host wanted me to leave some behind, which I did.

Success!  Although I would add more bread crumbs to make it thicker and not so sticky.

I also think that you could make the texture more interesting by kneading in some toasted nuts (I would use chopped almonds) before making the roll.  

And Now for the Bonus

What I took to the gathering was not all the date mixture.  I had a lot left over at home.  I decided it would be a good filling for a Chinese moon cake.  Completely non-traditional, I guessed, but I had been given a moon cake mold by YT and wanted to play with it.

Exterior view of the mold.

Interior view.

I used a recipe from Nyonya Cooking's website to make the golden syrup and the dough.  Click here to see it.  I already owned a bottle of lye water.  Golden syrup is just a simple syrup of water and sugar with a strong lemon flavor, and it was easy to make.

Just add water.

Simmered for 35 minutes to turn golden.

It tasted lovely!  I think I would make this just to have on hand for an ice cream topping or brushing on a cake or to put in my tea.  

To make the dough, which the site calls "foolproof", requires cake flour, for which I substituted 200 g all-purpose flour mixed well with 40 g cornstarch.  Also, the dough recipe author has never met this fool, as I managed to mis-measure the lye water, putting in too much.  I completed the recipe anyway.

Include the golden syrup!

I found that the mold could hold 25 g of filling with 25 g of dough comfortably.  It took a little practice to get it to work well in the mold, but it wasn't hard.  Weighing everything on a scale was a good idea.

This was too big for the mold.  Reduce by half.

Out of the mold, ready to bake.

First you bake them for 10 minutes, let them cool for 10 minutes, brush them with the egg wash, then bake them again for 10 minutes or until golden brown all over.  

Done!

Honestly, the filling was better distributed than this in many of them.

The Verdict

Nyonya's site says to let the cakes sit in a closed container for about 3 days for the oil in the filling to soften the crust.  Another website agrees but encourages tasting it while the crust is still crispy.  I did both.  

First, it was really obvious that I had put in too much lye water.  I could taste it and it was not a pleasant addition.  Even after the cakes had matured for a few days, the lye flavor was there.  However, I could get past that in order to judge the final result.  

I thought the leche Lombard filling was a very good idea.  It achieved similar results to the professionally-made moon cakes I have previously tried.  Tasty, not too sweet, and balanced with the crust.  My observation is that Asian desserts are very understated, and this was that.  But it was still flavorful enough to be interesting.  

Success again!  Just be careful in measuring the lye water...

Sugar Smoking, revisited and revised -- From a Guest Cook!

My friend, CT, told me of his love of grilling, so I had him look at a post I made in 2016: 

Sugar Smoking--A Technique from Hong Kong/Kowloon.

He found it interesting and decided to give it a try.  What follows is his description of his process.  Note that he used a gas grill instead of charcoal.

I decided to do something a little different and use duck breasts and quail.  I mostly followed the recipe, but I did use a little more garlic for the marinade (4 cloves instead of 1 - I like garlic). It wasn’t overpowering at all, at least for me.  

I altered the time for boil since the quail are so small, and had them on reduced heat for about 45 minutes, and the duck breasts for an hour.  That may have been too long, but it seemed to work well. I was concerned the quail would get dried out, but they stayed pretty moist - same with the duck breast.  

The duck had a texture and flavor were similar to pork shoulder (I think that's a good comparison, but not sure since it’s been a long time since I’ve had any kind of pork besides bacon - we don’t eat much pork).  

I think I used way too much brown sugar, so I got more than enough smoke:

The gas grill was a little tricky, but I decided to have the gas on one zone only to keep the heat around 375, about medium high, with the sugar pack right above the burner.  I put the meat right above the sugar to ensure maximum contact with the smoke:

A nice smoke:

A nice mahogany color:

 The Verdict

It went really well with a fennel salad and wild rice (cooked in the duck broth):

Thanks again for the recipe, this one's a keeper.

And thank you, CT, for trying my blog recipe and reporting on the results.  I'm impressed with your adaptation and your success -- I just wish I could have tasted it.  : )   

I'm glad you found a way to make this work with a gas grill.  I need to give that a try.  As much as I love cooking over charcoal, gas is easier to work with for small quantities of food.

Sugar Smoking -- A Technique from Hong Kong/Kowloon

My mom is at the age where she really doesn't want to cook much any more.  I don't blame her -- she has spent a lot of her life cooking and I think she has earned a break.  Of course this means she doesn't want many of her cookbooks, so I took the opportunity to abscond with, um, ask her politely for one book that has intrigued me for a while.  It is titled How the World Cooks Chicken, by H. J. Muessen.  Published in 1980, her book no longer had the dust jacket, so I found an image of it on the web:

ISBN 978-0812861952

The chapters are divided up into regions of the world, like "The Pacific", "The Orient", "Asia", "Africa", and so on.  Many of the recipes look intriguing, although the ones from Africa would be a challenge for me since I am not fond of spicy food.  Nearly every recipe in that chapter is spicy!

The recipe that caught my attention was on page 40, from the Hong Kong/Kowloon area.  Mr. Muessen says,

The Chinese use hickory, walnut, or other woods in smoking their meats just as we do, but another method, which gives an entirely different taste, is sugar smoking.  This is best done in an outdoor covered barbecue, but it can be done in your oven, although one should have the exhaust fan on throughout.

Sugar-Smoked Duck (or Chicken)

1 4-pound duck (or 3 pound chicken)
1 quart water
1 onion, quartered
Salt
10 peppercorns
1/2 cup brown sugar

Bird and first cooking ingredients

Marinade
6 tablespoons peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon anise seed powder
1 clove garlic, minced
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sherry

Marinade and smoking ingredients

Place the bird in the water in a large kettle and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat, skim off the scum, then add the onion, salt, and peppercorns.  Cover, and cook slowly (duck 1 1/2 hours, chicken 1 hour).  Now cut the bird into individual servings or into 16 pieces if you wish.  (See page 35.)

Premarinated.

Mix together the marinade ingredients and stir to blend thoroughly.  Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces in a large bowl, turning to coat each piece.  Let stand, covered, for 1 hour.

When the meat is ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line the bottom of a large, ovenproof pot with foil and place a small rack inside.  Add 1/2 of the sugar.  Place the meat on the rack and cover the kettle with foil, then place a lid on tightly, forming a seal. Put the kettle in the oven for 10 minutes, and allow the sugar to burn and thus smoke.

Now remove the kettle and reline the pan if necessary, and add the remaining sugar.  Reline the top of the kettle, and return to the oven to smoke for another 10 minutes.  The meat should turn a rich mahogany color, and the sugar-smoke taste will have permeated the meat.  Brush lightly with a little peanut oil and serve.  Serves 4 - 6.

My Notes

I used a chicken and let the bird slowly cook for about 1 hour, 30 minutes over the lowest heat my stove top could give.

It came out of the liquid (which was later turned into lentil soup!) and into a bowl where it cooled to the point where I could handle it.  I cut it into twelve pieces total and that seemed just fine.  Then the pieces went into a flat-bottom dish.

For the marinade I used freshly ground star anise seeds, canola oil, sweet cream sherry, fresh garlic, and low sodium soy sauce.  I poured it over the meat, then turned the pieces over and started the timer.  After 30 minutes I turned the pieces over again to marinate for another 30 minutes.

Once the hour marinating time was up, I drained off the marinade and put the meat into the refrigerator.

My neighbor had kindly agreed to get his barbecue hot for my grand experiment.  He used lump charcoal and heated the barbecue to 375 degrees F.

In the meantime I formed two trays out of foil, putting in about 1/4 cup (unpacked) of brown sugar into the bottom of each one.



We smoked the meat this way:  I put the chicken on the grills, he pushed the grills apart to expose the coals, and I put the foil tray directly on the coals.  Then he slid the grills together, closed the lid, and vented the top just a little bit.

First smoking, preturning.

It took a few minutes for the smoke to start showing but then it did and we opened the lid when the smoke levels dropped.  At that point he turned the meat over, slid apart the grills, and took out the first foil tray.  I put in the second tray and he got the lid closed again.

First smoking, some turned.

First smoking, nearly all turned

In both cases it took less than 10 minutes for the smoke to start up and then die down.  It made both of us think of teriyaki chicken.

While the second smoking was going on, we looked at the first tray.  The sugar had completely carbonized and was nearly odorless and tasteless.  Yes, we tasted it and found no flavor but there was a texture that made me think I was eating dirt.  Ugh!  I don't recommend it.

Do not eat this at home.  Or anywhere else!

The final result was a beautiful mahogany color.  The chicken smelled so good we could hardly wait to taste it.  I served it with hot bread and a simple green salad.

Beautiful in looks and in taste.

The Verdict

Let's put it this way:  I tentatively nibbled the first piece (I was worried it would have a burnt flavor) and then enthusiastically devoured it.  And a few more pieces.  Oh yes, I remembered to eat the salad and bread, too!

The flavor was amazing.  I couldn't say exactly what part was the sugar smoking and what part was the marinade but the overall taste combination was excellent.  I had hints of the anise, some lovely bitter from the soy and sherry, and a rich umami in every bite.  The meat was moist, even the breast meat which I usually dislike because it tends to be dry.

I would do it again and my taste testers agreed they would enjoy it again, too.  After the meat is cooked and marinated, it was very easy and quick to get it smoked.

As I was wolfing it down enjoying my meal, it occurred to me that this marinating and smoking combination might be good to use on salmon.  I wouldn't cook it first but just marinate it and smoke it, being careful to not let it overcook.

Success!  Oh my yes, success.  Excellent and flavorful and a great, fun, and intriguing food to serve at a party.

Jing Char Siu Bau -- Steamed Pork Buns (Part 4 of 4)

And Now for the Finale!  Jing Char Siu Bau

This is it -- the part you have been waiting for:  assembling the bau, steaming them, and enjoying the results.

Your dough should be nearly done resting, the filling is made and is nearby with a spoon in it, and you have some sort of steaming area set up, with the water at a low simmer.  The wax paper squares are cut and handy.

To Prepare Buns (see page 67 of The Dim Sum Book by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)

1. Roll Steamed Bun Dough into a cylindrical piece 16 inches long.  Cut into 16 1-inch pieces.

2. Roll each piece into a ball.  Work with one piece at a time; cover those pieces not being used with a damp cloth.

3. Press ball of dough down lightly; then, working with fingers of both hands, press dough into a domelike shape.

4. Place 2 tablespoons of filling (*author notes to use 1 tablespoon when you are first starting, until you are used to handling the dough) in center of well that has been created.  Close and pleat dough with fingers until filling is completely enclosed.

5. Put buns on squares of wax paper, 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches, and place in steamer at least 2 inches apart, to allow for expansion.

6. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes; serve immediately.

These may be frozen after cooking and will keep 2 to 3 months.  To reheat, defrost thoroughly and steam for 8 to 10 minutes.

My Notes

You can roll the dough out by hand -- no rolling pin necessary.

Both the flat one and the ball.  Maybe the flat one could be thinner.

Too much filling for the size of the dough.

The first batch ready for steaming.  On the second, I put in four buns per level.

Heavenly buns.  The bottom two look like those in restaurants.

Mine all came out ready after 15 minutes of steaming.  The sides looked somewhat dry and the balls were puffy.  There was a little steam coming out of the bamboo baskets but not a lot of it.

The Verdict

Success!  These tasted just like the ones I've had in the dim sum restaurants:  slightly doughy and also sweet and savory.  Lovely!  My first few did not have the filling-to-dough ratio I was used to at the restaurants but the later ones did as I got more confident at filling them.

A cut-away view

When the author says, "pleat the dough," I had a hard time at first so the buns came out as smooth balls once steamed.  But I learned that after I had sealed in the filling, I could pinch the dough to make the pleats -- 5 in a star pattern was perfect -- and the final result looked just like what I've had in the restaurants.

Please don't let the four-part posting and the number of ingredients scare you away from making this lovely dish.  It is less work than you might think; you can spread that work out over several days if you want, and still have excellent results.

The leftovers refrigerated well when covered so they couldn't dry out.  I reheated them in the microwave while covered with a damp paper towel.

A bit of history of dim sum:  Wikipedia tells us that

Dim sum is usually linked with the older tradition from yum cha (tea tasting), which has its roots in travelers on the ancient Silk Road needing a place to rest. ...  The unique culinary art of dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. ... While dim sum (literally meaning: touch the heart) was originally not a main meal, only a snack, and therefore only meant to touch the heart, it is now a staple of Cantonese dining culture, especially in Hong Kong.

Chinese New Year is coming up on January 31.  Why not make up a batch or two to celebrate?

Jing Char Siu Bau -- Steamed Pork Buns (Part 3 of 4)

Welcome to Part 3:  The Dough

This stage of the preparation has fewer ingredients and is really quite simple to do.  The main planning part is to let it rest for an hour before you use it to make the buns (see Part 4).  Schedule time to both make the dough and make the buns on the same day.

Steamed Bun Dough (see page 62 of The Dim Sum Book by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)

2 1/4 cups flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
3 ounces milk
1 1/2 ounces water
2 tablespoons lard (I used vegetable shortening)

Barely any ingredients!

1. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar together on work surface (I used a large bowl); then make a well in the middle.

2. Add milk gradually and with fingers (I used a big spoon) combine it with flour mixture.

3. After milk has been absorbed, add water and with fingers continue to work the dough.

4. Add lard, and, again with fingers (I used fingers), continue to work dough.

5.  Using a dough scraper, gather the dough with one hand and begin kneading with the other hand.

6. Knead for 12 to 15 minutes.  If the dough is dry, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time and continue to knead, until the dough becomes elastic.  If the dough is wet, sprinkle a bit of flour on the work surface and on your hands and continue working.

7. When dough is elastic, cover with moderately damp cloth and allow dough to rest for about 1 hour.

And now to rest; perchance to dream

 This dough must be used within 1 to 2 hours of the time it has been made.  It cannot be frozen.

My Notes

In all seriousness:  Follow these directions and all will turn out well.  It won't take long, either.  You'll know the dough is elastic if you can pinch a part and pull it, and it stretches into a sheet instead of breaking. Note that the dough sits on the counter while it is resting, not in the refrigerator.

While the dough is resting, prepare for making the buns by setting up your steaming area and preparing to roll the dough.  I would cut 16 pieces of wax paper at about 2.5 by 2.5 inches, too.

The Verdict

This is so very easy.  I piled the flour mixture in a big bowl so it wouldn't scatter all over while I worked it.  I used a spoon to mix in the liquids so my hand didn't get all gooey.  I used my hand to mix in the shortening because the dough was too thick for the spoon, but it wasn't all that sticky by then.

Kneading is easy because it is not a large quantity.  Just fold the dough over on itself and push the halves together, then rotate the dough, and start again.

Tomorrow's post will show you how to put it all together.

Jing Char Siu Bau -- Steamed Pork Buns (Part 2 of 4)

Welcome to Part 2, The Filling.

Again we have a recipe with a lot of ingredients but easy preparation.  Once the Char Siu is cooked and cooled, you can do this part.  I did it a few days later so the meat sat in the refrigerator.

The recipe says you can make this a day ahead of the dough and that is what I did. 

The Filling (see page 66 of The Dim Sum Book by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)

1/2 cup onion, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup Roast Pork, cut into 1/2-inch, thinly sliced pieces
1 tablespoon liquefied pork fat or peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white wine

Combine in a bowl:
     1 tablespoon oyster sauce
     1 1/2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
     2 teaspoons ketchup
     2 1/4 teaspoons sugar
     pinch of white pepper
     2 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
     2 1/2 ounces chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

And sesame oil

To make the filling:

1.  Heat wok for 30 to 40 seconds.  Add pork fat or peanut oil and heat until white smoke rises.  Add onions and cook over low heat, turning occasionally, until onions turn light brown.

2. Add the roast pork, raise heat, and stir-fry to combine the pork with the onions.  Add white wine and mix well.

3. Lower heat and add sauce mixture from bowl.  Stir until entire mixture thickens and turns brown.

4. Add sesame oil and mix well.

5. Remove pork mixture from the wok and transfer to a shallow dish.  Allow mixture to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for 4 hours.

The Verdict

I had no peanut oil or pork fat, so I used canola oil.

Following the directions was easy; the only part I was unsure of was how dark brown the cooked sauce should be.

Success!  It looked good and smelled good.  A little nibble confirmed it tasted good.  It doesn't make a large quantity but the final part of the recipe says to put in one tablespoon of filling into the dough.  This should be plenty.

Come back tomorrow for the next part:  The Dough.

 

Jing Char Siu Bau -- Steamed Pork Buns (Part 1 of 4)

Happy New Year, 2014!

This is the beginning of my third year of blogging and I'm pleased to report that in the first two years I have had over 6200 page views, 5200 of which were in 2013 alone.  I'm flattered that people find my posts interesting and useful.

In reviewing my efforts, I realized that the majority of the recipes I chose were from either America, Colonial America, medieval England, or Renaissance England.  While there is nothing wrong with that (they were tasty and fun!), I decided my challenge for 2014 was to explore other cultures.

So I hope to post at least once a month recipes that explore the international part of my cookbook collection.  A good way to start is with my favorite dim sum dish, a Chinese specialty that uses roast pork mixed with onions and a sauce and is tucked inside a ball of dough.  Then it is steamed.  One dim sum house I've been to calls it a "Chinese hamburger" because it is as popular as an American burger.  I find them wonderful!

My guide in this adventure is The Dim Sum Book by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, published in 1982.

ISBN 0-517-54581-0

It takes a bit of planning to make bau, so this first post is on preparing the roast pork, called Char Siu.  The second post (tomorrow's) is on making the filling, the third post is about the dough, and the last on creating and steaming the buns.

I've learned that the secrets to following a Chinese recipe are (1) not to be intimidated by the list of ingredients and (2) recognize that once everything is put together, the cooking part is generally straightforward and easy.

Plan ahead!  How will you steam the final product?  I have a set of stackable bamboo steamers that fit on top of one of my saucepans and in my wok.  What else could you do?

Here's the recipe for the Roast Pork (Char Siu), page 64:

--------------
4 1/2 pounds lean pork butt

In a bowl, combine and mix well:

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons blended whiskey
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cake wet preserved bean curd * (see note below)
1 teaspoon five-spice powder

The white jar holds the five-spice powder

1.  Cut the pork into strips 1 inch thick.  Using a small knife, pierce the meat repeatedly at 1/2-inch intervals to help tenderize it.

2. Line a roasting pan with foil.  Place the strips of meat in a single layer at the bottom of the roasting pan.

3. Pour the remaining ingredients from the bowl over the meat, and allow to marinate for 4 hours or overnight.

Ready for the 'fridge!

4. Preheat the oven to broil.  Place the roasting pan inside and roast for 30 to 50 minutes.  To test, remove one strip of pork after 30 minutes and slice it to see if it is cooked through.  During the cooking period, meat should be basted 5 or 6 times and turned 4 times.  If the sauce dries out, add water to the pan.

5. When the meat is cooked, allow it to cool, then refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.

Char siu can be made ahead.  It can be refrigerated 4 to 5 days, and it can be frozen for 1 month.  Allow it to defrost before using.

---------------
My Notes

I only had dark soy sauce so I used 6 tablespoons of that.  I also used black pepper instead of white.

The "wet preserved bean curd" was a challenge to find but I got it in a Chinese specialty store.  It is actually a fermented bean curd and you want the kind with no chili added.

This is what I used

*The author notes that "Wet preserved bean curd comes in both cans and jars.  ... If you use the canned curds, only half a cake is required for this recipe; if you use the curds in jars, use 2 small cakes.

I handled the "cook for 30 minutes and baste and turn" part by setting two timers.  One was for 30 minutes, the other for 5 minutes and when it went off, I turned the pork, which basted it at the same time, then reset the timer for 5 minutes.  I did this five times.

I put the pork about 10 inches away from the broiler and that seemed to be just right.  It cooked and even browned without burning.  30 minutes was all that was needed for the meat to be done.

*Sigh*  Yum

The Verdict
Oh my.  Yum!  Yes, success!

The meat is flavorful -- I can taste the honey and the star anise (from the five-spice mix) and the hoisin/oyster contributions.  I was worried it would be too salty but that was not a problem.  The marinade is rich and deep with a variety of flavors which go well with the pork.  I managed to get the meat thoroughly cooked (no longer pink in the middle) but not dry.

I look forward to using it in the bau recipe.  Note that the bau requires 3/4 cup of the roast pork and we started with a 4 1/2 pound chunk, so there is plenty to snack on, put in other dishes, and to freeze.

Come back tomorrow for the next step:  The Filling!