Monday, April 13, 2026

Cheese Cookie



Ingredients:

89g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated

89g plain flour

60g unsalted butter, cold

11g egg white (about 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon), lightly whisked. 

1g salt


Method:

1. Place flour and butter in a mixing bowl. Use a dough scrapper to cut the butter into the flour. Keep 'chopping' and tossing the flour over the butter until the pieces are about the size of small peas.

2. Add the cheese and use the dough scrapper to fold and cut the cheese into the butter-flour mixture until it looks uniform and crumbly.

3. Add egg white and continue to use the dough scrapper to fold and cut into the mixture. The dough should hold together when squeezed. Otherwise, add a little more egg white.

4. Transfer the dough to work surface and use the heel of your hand to smear the dough away from you once or twice. This is called frisage, it will create very thin layers of butter and cheese. Use the scrapper to bring the dough together and form a log about 4-5cm in diameter. Wrap the log tightly in clingwrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 160 degree celcius, fan mode. Using a sharp knife, slice the log into rounds of 5mm thick. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. The sliced rounds should be cold when they go into the oven. If they have warmed up while you were slicing, put the entire tray of sliced rounds into the fridge for 10minutes before putting into the oven.

6. Bake the cookies for 10minutes until they are a deep golden brown. Let them sit on the tray for a few minutes to crisp up before moving them to a rack. As soon as the cookies have cooled down, transfer them to an airtight container.




Thursday, March 19, 2026

Creamy Carbonara




Ingredients
100g spaghetti
3 pieces of back bacon
50g whipped cream
10g Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated)
​30ml Reserved pasta water (starchy water is crucial here for the sauce to cling)
black pepper

Method:
​1. Crisp the Meat: Pan fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Turn the heat to low.  
2. Infuse the Cream: Pour the whipping cream directly into the skillet with the meat and rendered fat. Add a dash of black pepper. Let it simmer gently for 1–2 minutes until it begins to reduce and thicken slightly.

3. ​Emulsify: Add your cooked pasta and pasta water to the skillet. Toss to coat the noodles in the simmering cream.

​4. The Cheese Fold: Turn off the heat completely. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano over the pasta in three stages, tossing vigorously between each addition.
​Note: Adding the cheese in stages prevents it from clumping into a single ball.
5. Adjust Consistency: If the sauce looks too thick, add one more splash of pasta water.

Serve hot!