Meyer lemon madeleines
(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my home to yours)
Dorie Greenspan is one of my favourite cookbook authors. Her recipe for madeleines is easy to follow and I have tried it many times and it has not failed me. It is important to let the batter stay in the fridge for as long as possible (overnight is best), this will help to give the madeleines their signature hump.

Makes 12 madeleines

Ingredients
80g all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
55g granulated sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, room temperature (around 54g to 56g per egg without shell)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
85g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In a medium-sized bowl, add in the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix well. Set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, add in the sugar and lemon zest. Using a fork, rub the lemon zest into the sugar, making sure that the zest is coating the sugar thoroughly. By doing this, you are infusing the lemony flavour into the sugar. The finished sugar should be moist and fragrant.

In the bowl with sugar lemon zest, add in the eggs. Using either a whisk or a hand mixer, beat the eggs into the sugar until the mixture turns foamy and pale yellow. The purpose is to dissolve the sugar, so whisk as hard as you can. This should take around 5-8 minutes by hand, 2-3 minutes with the hand mixer. Once the mixture turns pale yellow, add in the vanilla extract and mix well.

Add in half of the flour mixture into the sugar, lemon and eggs mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold in the flour. When you fold in the flour, pretend you are writing the number 8 with the spatula – I find this method helps to incorporate any ingredients really quickly without losing much air volume. When it is almost fully incorporated, add in the rest of the flour mixture, mixing well until there are no flour streaks.

Add in half of the cooled melted butter into the batter, and gently fold it in. When it is almost fully incorporated, add in the rest of the melted butter. The finished batter will have the consistency of a thick cream.

Once the batter is done, cover the surface of the batter with a cling wrap (to prevent any skin from forming) and leave it in the fridge for a minimum 3 hours, best overnight, before baking.

The next day
Half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 200^oC and place the rack in the centre of the oven. In addition, have a wire rack on standby for the finished madeleines.

If you are using a non-stick madeleine pan, brush lightly with vegetable oil. If you are using madeleine moulds, or a metal madeleine pan, butter thoroughly and dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Should you use individual madeleine moulds, place them on a baking tray before putting them in the oven. I personally don’t really like to use silicone madeleine pans as it does not brown the underbelly as well as the metal ones.

When the oven hits 200^oC, remove the batter from the fridge. The chilled batter will be quite thick and sticky – there is no need to stir it. You can use it directly.

Using two tablespoons, spoon the batter into the moulds and fill it to almost to the top. Place the madeleine pan in the oven and bake it for 10-12 minutes or until they turn golden and the hump springs back when touched. If you are unsure, you can pierce it with a wooden toothpick – it should come out clean or with a just bit of crumb.

Once the madeleines are baked, remove the pan from the oven. Using a wooden toothpick, gently pry the madeleine from the pan/mould. Do this quickly so that condensation will not happen or else you will be left with a soggy cake.

Transfer the madeleines unto a wire rack to cool. Make sure the hump is facing down and the scallop top is facing up.

If you have additional batter and need to bake a second batch, make sure the pan is properly cooled before you use. Once the pan is cooled, prep them as instructed above.

Before serving, dust a bit of icing sugar on top of the madeleines.

*Most kitchenware stores will stock madeleine pans. I got mine from Phoon Huat. I’ve also seen it for sale at Daiso.

Nids de Tartiflette
(Adapted from Rachel Khoo’s The Little Paris Kitchen)
After you unwrap the Reblochon, you might find there is a pinkish or orange colouring underneath the rind. Don’t worry, the cheese has not gone bad. This is the result of the smear-ripened process. It is safe for consumption. For this particular dish, I would strongly advise you not to remove the rind, as when it is crisped up in the oven, it is crunchy and delicious. If you cannot find Reblochon, a good substitute is Brie or Camembert.

Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Makes 6 medium-sized tartiflettes

Ingredients
15g unsalted butter (plus some extra for the muffin tin)
500g potatoes
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 dried bay leaf
100ml dry white wine (you might need slightly more; I use Sauvignon Blanc)
240g Reblochon cheese, big cubes
Salt** and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180^oC. Oil a 6-hole (medium size) muffin tin with some soft butter and set aside. If you do not have a muffin tin, use ramekins or paper muffin cups.

Prep the potatoes – wash, peel and using the julienne blade (using the smallest size) of a mandoline*** to make thin matchsticks. If you do not have a mandoline, you can do this by hand, slicing the potatoes as thinly as possible into matchstick shapes. If you have a food processor, you might want to check if it comes with a julienne disc, you can use that too. Lastly, try to make the potatoes the last thing you prep in order to prevent oxidation.

Using a large non-stick frying pan, over a low-medium heat, add in the butter, chopped onion, garlic and bay leaf. Using a wooden spoon, occasionally stir the mixture. Season the mixture with pinch of salt and black pepper. At this stage, you want to sweat the onion – this means softening the onion without getting much colour on them (hence using a low-medium heat). This should take around 3-5 minutes.

Once the onion is softened, add in the dry white wine and let it reduce to 1-2 tablespoons of liquid. If the wine evaporates too quickly (this could happen if your pan is too hot or too wide), just add in a couple more tablespoons of wine.

Once the wine is reduced, remove the bay leaf and add in the potato matchsticks, and mix well. Once mixed, remove the pan from the heat.

In the same pan, add in the cubed Reblochon cheese and mix well. The cheese can be quite sticky so you need to spread it around the pan. You need to work fast here, otherwise the cheese will start to melt and become gooey, which makes it hard to put in the muffin tin.

Divide the potato mix between the 6-hole muffin tin. Try to pack in as much as possible into each hole. The tartiflette will actually shrink when baked. If you are using paper muffin cups or ramekins, place them on a baking tray.

Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tartiflette turns golden brown and bubbling. Serve warm.

I like to serve the tartiflette with a side salad (I usually serve it with rocket leaves dressed in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil).

*I get my Reblochon from Cold Storage, Plaza Singapura.
**During Christmas, I was gifted with Jamie Oliver’s chilli salt, which I use in this dish. I like how the mild spice cuts through the richness of the cheese. Try making make your own flavoured salt with paprika, cumin and so on.
***If you are using a mandoline, please use the hand guard. I recently had a bad accident with the mandoline (not from making this dish) and the kitchen was transformed into a CSI crime scene in minutes. That said, I still love my mandoline – it is one of the most useful kitchen tools for people with rubbish knife skills (aka me).

Burnt eggplant with tahini
(Adapted from Yottam Ottolenghi’s Plenty)
This dip (or condiment) is pretty intense hence I often have it with salad. You can also serve with a simply seasoned fish or red meat.

Recipe type: Starter
Prep time: 45 – 60 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 60 – 75 minutes

Serves 2-4

1 large eggplant
⅓ cup tahini paste (80ml)
¼ cup water (60ml)
2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped finely
3 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
3 mini cucumbers (170g-200g, thinly sliced, optional – I like to use Japanese cucumbers which I think are cleaner in taste)
¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
Seeds from ½ large pomegranate
A little olive oil to finish

How to burn eggplant
There are a few ways to “burn” the eggplant. My preference is exposing the eggplant to open flame. If you do not have a gas stove, you can use the oven. Be prepared that during the process of “burning”, your house will be smoky and smell like you just had an indoor barbecue.

Using the open flame
-        Wash and clean the eggplant and make sure the skin is completely dry.
-        Switch on your gas burner to a moderate flame. Using a metal tongs, place the eggplant directly on the flame, and roast for 12-15 minutes. During this time, turn the eggplant frequently with a metal tongs – this is to ensure that it does not catch fire. You will know the eggplant is ready when the flesh starts to soften and the skin starts to char, blister and tear away.
-        Set the eggplant aside to cool before you scoop the flesh.

Using the oven
-        Preheat your oven to 190^oC and line a baking tray with aluminium foil.
-        Wash and clean the eggplant and make sure the skin is completely dry. Using a fork, prick the eggplant all over – this is to prevent the eggplant from exploding in the oven.
-        Place the pricked eggplant on the lined baking tray and put in the oven to roast for 20-30 minutes or until the skin starts to blister and tear away. During this time, you can turn the eggplant a couple of times.
-        Once the eggplant is cooked, set it aside to cool.

Assemble
-        Once the eggplant is cooled, carefully slice the eggplant into half. Using a large spoon, gently scoop out the flesh and place it into a colander or sieve. I usually have a tea towel on standby, or use paper towels to remove any charred bits that have fallen into the flesh. Leave the eggplant flesh to drain for at least 30 minutes (this is to drain off any bitter liquid in the eggplant).
-        Once the eggplant is drained, roughly chop the flesh and transfer them to a medium-sized mixing bowl. In the bowl, add in the tahini, water, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and season with some salt and black pepper. Mix well with a spoon or spatula.
-        Taste the dip and adjust the seasoning. If it needs heat and sharpness, add in more garlic; needs more acid, squeeze in a bit more lemon juice; needs a bit more sweetness, pour in more molasses. The dip should have a robust sour and slightly sweet flavour.
-        If you wish to bulk up the dip, add in the thinly sliced cucumbers and halved cherry tomatoes and stir well in the eggplant mix.

To serve, place the dip in a bowl, scatter the pomegranate seeds on top and drizzle with a little olive. The dip goes very well with sticks of celery, baguette or flat bread.

Any leftover can be kept in the fridge for up to two days.

*I got my pomegranate molasses from Jones the Grocer at Mandarin Gallery. Alternatively you can make your own.

Banana, nuts and chocolate chips muffin
(Heavily influenced by Joanne Chang’s Flour)
This recipe is not found in Flour. I love the banana bread recipe from Flour and I used that as a reference and created this banana nuts chocolate chips muffin recipe.

Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Makes 12 medium-sized muffins

Ingredients
120g all-purpose flour
100g whole wheat flour
120g unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
130g granulated sugar
2 large eggs (a large egg without shell should weigh around 54-56g)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt (table salt is fine)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
60ml (¼ cup) crème fraîche or sour cream*
120g bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli’s 60% bittersweet chocolate chips)
100g walnuts or pecans, toasted, chopped
200g skinned bananas, mashed

Preheat your oven to 180^oC. You can either butter or line your muffin tray with muffin cups. I prefer the latter as it saves me a few chores. If you do not have a muffin tray or no intention to buy one, you can buy those sturdier cupcake/ muffin cups–they tend not to go out of shape when filled with batter. In Singapore, you can easily get them from Phoon Huat.

In a medium-sized bowl, add in both all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using) and mix well, and set aside.

In another medium-sized bowl, mash the bananas together with crème fraîche (or sour cream) and vanilla extract, and set aside.

In the stand-mixer bowl, add in the softened butter and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar for 5-8 minutes, medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. You can also do this by hand (or using a hand mixer). Use a large-sized bowl and a wooden spoon, mix the butter and sugar until it becomes fluffy. This should take 10-15 minutes by hand. Try to use a sturdy, heavy bottom bowl so as to prevent it from slipping off your hands.

Once the butter and sugar are incorporated, add in the eggs, one at a time (if you are using the stand-mixer, you are still on medium speed). At this point, the mixture will look like half-cooked scrambled eggs. It is meant to look like that. Make sure the egg is fully incorporated before you add in the next one.

Once the eggs are mixed in, add in the mashed banana mixture and mix at a medium speed for around 1-2 minutes. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, remove the bowl from the stand-mixer.

Using a spatula, fold in half of the flour mixture into the stand-mixer bowl (which contains the butter, sugar and bananas). When the flour is almost fully incorporated, fold in the rest of the flour mixture, nuts and chocolate chips. It is very tempting to mix vigorously to get rid of the flour streaks. Don’t. This will release the gluten in the flour, leaving you with a rock-solid muffin. Just be patient and gently fold in the flour until there are no flour streaks. Don’t be overly worried if you see lumps – chances are they are the mashed bananas. And please don’t take a shortcut and use the stand-mixer to mix in the flour, nuts and chocolate chips–the chances of over-mixing are quite high.

Fill each muffin cup ¾ full – this should be around 2 tablespoons of batter. I like to use ice-cream/ cookie scoop for this job as it helps to release the batter that is usually stuck on the spoon.

Once the muffin cups are filled, place the muffin tray on the top of a baking tray – this is to ensure even baking at the bottom. If you are not using a muffin tray, place the muffin cups on a baking tray. Bake for around 20-25 minutes (rotate the tray after 10-15 minutes of baking). You can use a toothpick or a skewer to check if your muffin is done. There should be tiny bits of crumbs stuck onto the toothpick/ skewer. Once cooked, the top of the muffin should be golden brown and still soft to touch.

Remove the muffins from the tray and leave them on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. If you did not use muffin cups to line your tray, let them cool in the tray for 5 minutes before you tilt and remove them. If you have problems removing the muffin, you can use a paring knife and run it around the edge of the muffin. Please don’t leave them for too long in the tray to cool as condensation will happen and you will get a soggy bottom. Once removed, leave them on a rack to cool.

Serve the muffins warm. They are good on their own or with a bit of butter (I won’t judge you).

*My preference is always to use crème fraîche. You will still get a great muffin using sour cream but it won’t be spectacular. Crème fraîche is rather easily available in good supermarkets – I get mine from Cold Storage in Singapore.

Puy lentil soup with Parmesan toasts
(Adapted from Bill Granger’s Bill’s Sydney Food)
There are certain ingredients that I added and some that I omitted from the original recipe. This is largely determined by what happens to be in my fridge. Feel free to swop any of the vegetables – if you do not have carrots on hand, use pumpkin. If you like to keep the soup and toast vegan, omit the Parmesan rind and cheese. It will not dramatically impact the flavour. It will still be a delicious bowl of soup.

Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Serves 4 as a main

Puy lentil soup
Ingredients
50g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped carrots (about 2 small carrots)
½ cup chopped white onion (about 1 onion)
½ cup sliced leek, white part only (about 1 stalk of leek)
4 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
400g tin chopped Italian tomatoes
1 litre vegetable stock
2 dried bay leaves
½ cup lentils du Puy, washed and drained
1 teaspoon (kosher) salt (optional) (you may or may not need salt, depending on individual taste; you can use table salt if you do not have kosher salt)
1 Parmesan rind (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red chilli flakes

In a large cooking pot, melt the butter and oil over medium heat.

Once the butter is completely melted, add in the carrots, onion and leeks and cook for 8-10 minutes. Do stir the vegetable mixture occasionally and make sure they don’t get browned. Once the vegetable mix is slightly softened, add in the garlic and crushed red chilli flakes and stir to incorporate.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaves and parmesan rind to the vegetable mix. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. At this point, I usually cover the pot, leaving a slight opening*.

After the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, add in the (washed) Puy lentils. Check the cooking instructions/ time on the lentil’s packaging – usually it will take about 15-20 minutes to cook. The lentils should be soft yet with a bite. So do a taste test after 10 minutes or so.

Season the soup with salt and pepper to your liking. Once that is done, remove the pot from the stove. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind (if using. The rind may or may not dissolve in the soup). Serve warm with the Parmesan toasts.

Parmesan toasts
You can start preparing the toast while the soup is simmering. In this way, the soup and the toast pieces will be ready at the same time.

Makes about 20 pieces.

Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil (60ml)
2 gloves of garlic
½ baguette, thinly sliced (you should be able to yield 20 slices)
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Parmesan cheese)

Preheat the oven to 200^oC.

Using a blender/ food processor/ immersion blender, blend the oil and garlic until smooth. It is okay if you still have tiny bits of garlic in the mixture.

Slice the baguette into thin slices (about 1cm thick) and place them on a baking tray. Using a pastry brush, brush one side (top side) of the sliced baguette with the garlic oil and sprinkle with black pepper.

Using a Microplane grater or any fine grater, grate the Parmesan cheese on top of the sliced (and oiled) baguette. Be as generous as you like with the amount.

Put the tray in the oven and bake the toasts for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and crisp. Serve warm.

*While the soup simmers, you can start working on the Parmesan toasts.

Baked doughnuts
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s baked doughnuts)
If you do not have a doughnut tray, you can easily use a mini-muffin tray or mini-muffin paper cups. The baking time will be a minute or two longer. The most important tip is that you can actually bake these in a toaster oven too. I quite like these doughnuts plain but go ahead and explore a different glaze or topping. You can even inject jam or whipped cream into the doughnuts.

Recipe type: Snack, Dessert
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5-7 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes
Serve: Makes about 24 mini doughnuts/ mini muffins

Ingredients
113g unbleached white pastry flour (I used Bob’s Red Mills which is available in selected Cold Storage and Jason’s)
60g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg (I prefer freshly grated nutmeg as it is not as strong as the powdered version)
¼ teaspoon (kosher) salt (table salt is fine)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons yoghurt (you can use full-fat or low-fat)

-        Preheat the oven to 190^oC.
-        In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt together, and set aside.
-        In another bowl, put in the eggs, oil and yoghurt together. Using a whisk, beat the ingredients until foamy.
-        Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until combined (you can use the same whisk for this job). Don’t be too overzealous with the mixing – just make sure there are no flour streaks.
-        Grease the doughnut/ mini-muffin pan well even if you are using non-stick pan. The batter is low in fat so it might stick to the pan. If you are using mini-muffin paper cups, you can skip this process.
-        Using a teaspoon, fill each doughnut form/ mini-muffin cup half full. It is about 1½ teaspoon of batter per doughnut/mini muffin.
-        Place the doughnut/ mini-muffin tray on a baking tray and put it in the oven. This will ensure an even baking surface at the bottom.
-        Bake the doughnuts for 5-7 minutes (for mini muffins, you will need another 1-2 minutes baking time). To check if the doughnuts are cooked, you can either lightly touch them (and they should spring back) or insert a toothpick (and you should get a bit of crumbs clinging onto it). When done, the doughnut will be lightly browned.
-        Remove the doughnuts/ mini muffins from the pan and allow them to cook on a rack. Serve warm on its own or coat with cinnamon sugar or your favourite glaze.
-        They are best on the day they’re baked. For leftovers, keep them in an airtight container for up to a day.

Apple galette
(Adapted from Nicole Stich, Delicious Days)
For this recipe, feel free to use your favourite pie pastry. My current favourite is the one from Nicole Stich (of delicious days). I love that the pastry is all-butter (I detest shortening and lard) and it formed a beautiful 10” galette. If you feel fancy, use a cookie cutter and cut out the dough and place your fruits* neatly for a more “posh” look.

Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes (if you are making mini galette, the bake time is around 20-25 minutes)
Total time: 130 minutes
Serve: Makes about one 10” galette or three 4” mini galettes

Ingredients
1 portion of your favourite pie/ short-crust pastry (most recipes for pie/ short-crust pastry will yield a 10”-13” pie)**
300g apples (I like to use Granny Smith or Golden Delicious. This is around 2-2½ apples)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (1 tablespoon to be mixed with the sliced apples and 1 tablespoon for sprinkling on top of the pie)
15g unsalted butter, cubed
Zest of 1 lemon (when you are zesting the lemon, avoid the white bit – that is the bitter part)
Juice of half a lemon

- In a small bowl, pour in the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the lemon zest. Using a fork, rub the lemon zest into the sugar – this process imparts the lemon flavour into the sugar. Set aside.
- Prep the apples – peel, core and cut the apple into quarters, width-wise. Cut the quarters into ¼” slices – I use my trusty mandoline for this job (and also because I have rubbish knife skills).
- Once the apples are prepped, place them in a big bowl. Pour the lemon juice (to prevent the apples from turning brown) and lemon-sugar into the bowl and mix well. Set aside in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 180^oC.
- Remove the pastry dough from the fridge 5-10 minutes prior to rolling so that it is pliable and easy to roll.
- Place a large piece of parchment paper (at least 15” long) on the surface that you are going to roll out the dough on. Do not use a silicon baking sheet for this.
- Flour the parchment paper generously. Place the dough on top and flour the surface and the rolling pin.
- Roll the dough as evenly as possible and flour the surface as the dough extends. You should try to achieve a 0.1” thickness. As you roll, try your best to obtain a round shape. It is ok if you end up with an oblong pie pastry (it happens to me all the time).
- Once the dough is rolled out, place the sliced apples as neatly as possible, leaving a 2” border.
- Once the apples are placed, evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the cubed butter on the apples.
- Gently fold in the edges towards the middle of the dough. If you have problem folding in the dough, gently lift the parchment paper, tuck a small knife underneath the dough and fold in. The parchment paper is to help lift the edge of the dough. If you have any holes, don’t be too concerned, you can just pinch the dough and mend the hole.
- Once the edges are folded in, carefully lift the parchment paper (with the pie) with two hands and place it gently on a baking tray.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust turns golden brown.
- If you plan to make mini galettes, bake them for 20-25 minutes.

*For the open tart/galette, you need to use fruits such as apple, grapes, figs and so on. The juice from these fruits tends not to leak out of the tart/ galette.
**If you are using Nicole Stich’s pie pastry recipe, I usually swop out half of the all-purpose flour with white pastry flour – this makes the crust more crumbly. In addition, I don’t mix the crème fraîche into the water. I add in the crème fraîche in the flour-butter mix and add in the water bit by bit. Lastly, if you really must use store-bought short-crust pastry, choose an all-butter version. I personally don’t advocate the use of store-bought short-crust pastry as it is actually quite easy to make from scratch.

Soft pretzel rolls
(Adapted from Alton Brown’s homemade soft pretzels)

Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Prep time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 12-15 minutes
Total time: 105 minutes
Serve: Makes about 12 pretzel rolls

Ingredients
624g all-purpose flour
1½ cup warm water (around 43^oC)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
7g active dry yeast (1 sachet/ 2¼ teaspoons)
57g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 cups water
200g baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil for the pan
Sea salt (I used Maldon), poppy seed or sesame seeds

Methods
In your stand mixer’s bowl, add in the flour. Pour in the salt and sugar at one end of the bowl, and add in the yeast at the other end. Be careful here: if you add in the salt on top of the yeast, it will kill the latter and your dough might not rise.

Using the dough hook attachment, mix the dry ingredients on a low speed. Slowly pour in the melted butter, follow by the water. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a wooden spoon and mix the ingredients together.

Change the mixer speed to medium, knead the dough until it is soft and starts to pull away from the side of the bowl. This will take around 4-5 minutes. At the initial stage, the dough might look a bit shaggy – do not be tempted to add in more water. Let the mixer work its magic for 5 minutes. If it continues to look shaggy, you can then add in more water, tablespoon by tablespoon.

If you are kneading by hand, turn the bowl and place the dough on a lightly floured surface/ board. Using your preferred kneading method, knead the dough until it is smooth and not tacky. This should take around 10-15 minutes. After kneading, if the dough looks dry, you can add in water, tablespoon by tablespoon.

Oil a large bowl with some vegetable oil and place the kneaded dough inside. If you are using the stand mixer, you can remove the dough from the bowl, clean it, oil it with vegetable oil and put the dough back into the oiled bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a shower cap), and let it sit in a warm place for around an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 220^oC. Line two baking trays with parchment paper and lightly brush it with vegetable oil. Set aside.

On a lightly oiled surface (I like to use a wooden chopping board), divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. I would usually weigh the dough for increased accuracy and divide them accordingly.

Using the “pull and tuck” method, pull one side of the dough and tuck it underneath. Repeat until you get a round shape/ boule. Alternatively, you can gently roll the dough on the oiled surface into a ball. Repeat for the rest of the pieces and place them on the parchment lined baking trays.

Using a 4-litre saucepan, bring the 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil. Place the ball of dough into the boiling water, one piece at a time for 30 seconds. You might need to turn the dough to ensure all sides are coated. This process imparts the “alkaline-pretzel” flavour onto the dough, and during baking, it will also give the roll its dark brown colour.

Using a strainer spoon, remove the dough and drain any excess water, and place it on the parchment lined baking tray. Repeat for the rest of pieces.

Brush the top and side of the dough with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with sea salt*. Bake until dark golden brown in colour. This will take around 12-15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes.

The pretzel rolls are best eaten on the day itself. If you plan to eat them the next day, I would recommend that they be kept in the freezer. To reheat, thaw the roll completely. Preheat the oven to 180^oC and bake 5-8 minutes.

*Beside sea salt, you can also sprinkle black pepper, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, parmesan cheese, or whatever you happen to have in your pantry.

Cacio e Pepe
In an ideal situation, you should only use Pecorino which is salty and sharp, complementing the spicy black pepper. You can use Parmesan (or a combination of Parmesan and Pecorino) but you might need to add a bit of salt. Another thing you will notice is that I don’t salt the pasta water. Pecorino is already a really salty cheese so you don’t really need the additional salt. If you feel the pasta needs more seasoning, just add in more cheese.

Recipe type: Lunch, dinner
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serve: 2 (very hungry) people

Ingredients
200g pasta (thick) spaghetti, bucatini, bavette – these are the ideal pastas, allowing the sauce to be nicely coated unto the thick noodles)
65g Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano), finely grated
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (if you like more heat, you can add in another 1 teaspoon of black pepper)
45g unsalted butter
Kosher salt to taste (optional)

-          Cook the pasta as instructed on the packaging* in boiling hot water in a large, wide bottomed pan (I usually use the same pan to finish the dish).
-          Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain. Run it under cold water to stop the cooking and drain. Set pasta aside.
-          Clean the pan to ensure there is no water droplets and residue. Once the pan is heated (it should be on medium heat), add in the black pepper. This is to toast and extract the flavour of the black pepper.
-          After a minute, add in ¼ – ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and butter**. Once the butter has melted, add in the pasta. Using tongs, make sure the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. If the mixture seems a bit tight (or if the noodles are sticking together), add in a bit more pasta water.
-          Once the pasta is nicely coated with the sauce, turn off the heat and add in the cheese. You have to be quick now – toss the pasta and make sure the cheese is evenly distributed. Once again, if the mixture seems tight, add in more pasta water. Taste – add in more cheese or salt (for saltiness) or pepper (for heat) if needed.
-          To serve, top the pasta with a bit more grated cheese.

*To achieve al-dente, I usually shave 2-3 minutes off the suggested cooking time (furthermore the pasta is going to be cooked again later in the process).
** The moment you add in the water and butter, the sauce may spit out of the pan. So please be very careful and try not to stand too close to the pan.