Ultimately, I cook for others because I want to be liked.  If you bring the cake, someone will always be your friend.  So I like to have a few standby, easy to make, crowd pleasing recipes on hand.

Tonight we had a gathering to celebrate my neighbours 86th birthday.  No small occasion I’m sure you’ll agree.  But apart from “bring a plate” I had no idea what to prepare, for how many, sweet? savory? *shrug*.

I toyed with Quiche, pavlova, chocolate eclairs…as I was out last night it had to be something I could whip up after work, and as it was raining, with something in my pantry.  Aha!  Gougères! Small choux pastry puffs of cheesy goodness.

This recipe started with Damien Pignolet in his fantastic book “French”, and grew from there.

Preheat oven to 220 Degrees c

150ml water

150ml milk (fullfat preferably)

120g butter (cut into small cubes) ( 6 metric tablespoons i.e. 20ml each)

150 plain flour (sifted onto a sheet of greaseproof paper) (1.2 metric cups of flour i.e. 250ml)

4 eggs lightly beaten

about 3 tablespoons of cheese cut into a 5mm dice (Gruyere is traditional, but Comte or Cheddar is just as good)

A few sprigs of a herb to complement – I like chervil, but parsley or celery leaves would all be ok.  If you’re not sure, try some of the herb and the cheese together.  If they taste OK, then use them!  If they don’t, choose something else or leave it out all together.

A pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Heat the water, milk and butter in a smallish saucepan over a low-medium heat.  You want the butter to melt before it comes to the boil.

When it boils, take the saucepan off the hear and “shoot”  the flour in, all at once and stir until it forms a thick paste.

Put the saucepan back on a medium heat, and stir the paste for 30secs to a minute until it forms a smooth ball and comes away from the sides.

Put the paste into a stand mixer (or you can do this stage by hand in the saucepan) and leave to cool for five minutes.  With the mixer on slow (about 2) and using the paddle mixer (or K-blade) add the eggs in small amounts (4 – 5 batches) mixing very well in between each batch.   You will have a smooth shiny paste.

Stir in the cheese and herbs, and taste for salt and pepper.  I like to use celery salt (you can make this at home easily).

Spoon or pipe teaspoon size portions onto trays lined with baking paper, about 20 to the tray.

Bake for about 8 mins until the puffs are puffy and brown, then turn the oven down to 160degrees and cook for a further ten.

Serve warm with a glass of champagne makes about 50 puffs.

The mix is quite forgiving, you can have it ready to go, and wait until the last minute to bake them.  You can bake them for the first 8 mins, then cool them, and do the second baking later (they will flop, but will rise again.  They won’t be as good as fresh cooked, but they will be perfectly acceptable).  You can freeze them once they are fully cooked, so long as you freeze them when they are still warm.

These photo show the various stages of turning the paste into batter.

But this weekend, I have a 6 day break from work, and due to Melbourne Gastronome’s review, a hankering to try the pork bun recipe.

So this is what they are supposed to look like according to the foodstyled book.

And this is what they did look like, according to some food savvy bloggers who styled them quite beautifully at a potluck dinner on Saturday night.   (Thanks for the photo Claire)

The recipes is based on the one in David Chang’s book, but I have made some adjustments for Australian measurements, my preferred methods and tinkered with the pork flavour to suit my palate a bit better. A standard Australian tablespoon is 20ml. A US one is 15ml.

Steamed buns
1 x 20ml Tablespoon dried yeast
1.5 cups water (37° Celcius)

Warm bowl of mixer with dough hook fitted by filling with warm tap water and leaving to sit while you measure the water for the dough. Empty bowl, fit to the mixer, pour in water and add yeast. Stir slowly with dough hook until dissolved.

Add
4½ x 20ml tablespoons of sugar
2½ x 20ml spoons of skim milk powder
¾ x 20ml tablespoon of salt
1 x 5 ml teaspoon (Rounded) of baking powder
1 x 5 ml teaspoon of baking soda

Stir slowly with dough hook to combine.

Add 4½ cups plain or bread flour and
drop 3 x 20ml tablespoons of lard (or vegetable shortening if you must) on top.

Turn on to low setting and knead for 8 – 10 mins until it forms a soft, but not sticky ball.

Put into a lightly oiled bowl and sit in a warm place until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and turn it out on to a board. Cut into half, and then each half into four pieces. Slightly roll each piece and cut in 25g pieces. (recipe made 48 for me). Cover with cling film and leave for 30 mins.

Cut pieces of baking parchment (silicon paper or Glad Bake), one for each piece approx 10cm x 10cm

Flatten a ball and roll it out to an oval about 10cm long using a small rolling pin or piece of dowel (I used a bottle of rosewater). Fold over in half, place on a piece of parchment and let sit for another 30 – 45mins.

Now steam in batches for 10 mins until they are puffed and glossy – don’t crowd the steamer.

Remove parchment and allow to cool. Wrap back in parchment and stack in an airtight container and place in fridge if you’re not using them straight away. or double wrap in freezer wrap to freeze.

Pork

1.5 kg slab skinless pork belly
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup salt
½ x 5ml teaspoon five spice powder
2 x 20ml tablespoon rice (or sherry) vinegar

Mix salt, sugar and five spice in a small bowl.
Trim pork belly and remove any ribs that are still attached
Rub belly with salt mix and place in small roasting pan, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but no more than 24.

Heat oven to 230°C Conventional (210°C Fan-forced). Uncover pork and discard any liquid that has collected. Cook belly fat side up for 1 hour, basting with rendered fat halfway. Turn oven down to 120°C Conventional (110°C Fan-forced), baste pork with vinegar and cook for further hour to hour and a half until pork is soft and tender to touch, but not falling apart. Baste as often as you like during this time.

Allow pork to cool, when cool enough to handle, wrap in foil and put in the fridge until it’s thoroughly cooled. This makes it easier to cut. Cut into 1 cm slices that are about 5 cm long.

Reheat to serve (I used a microwave, or you can use a frypan)

To serve

Thinly sliced cucumber, mixed with salt sugar and vinegar for 5 – 10 mins to lightly pickle
Thinly sliced spring onions
Hoisin Sauce

Steam buns, tear open, spread with sauce, add greens and pork.