scalloped-potatoes, another home made dish

we are planning for the christmas dinner on dec 23. mashed potato is on my list, but i got scalloped potatoes in my mind before i went to bed on friday night. i had a very good scalloped potatoes as side dish at anthony’s catch in sai kung, hong kong. this is one of our favorite restaurants. i did some searches from internet and have my own scalloped potatoes last night

requirement for 4 persons (as side) or 2 persons (as main)

1. 2-3 potatoes (used for bake)
2. small box of whipped cream (i believe it’s 150ml)
3. 1 bag (don’t know the size) shredded cheddar cheese

step-by-step

1. cut the potatoes into thin slices
2. put a layer of sliced potatoes on a dish
3. put a layer of shredded cheddar cheese, some salts / pepper and add half of heavy cream
4. repeat 2 and 3 so you got another layer on top
5. preheat the oven at 165 degrees C
6. cover the dish with foil and put into oven for 30min
7. remove the foil for another 30min

cheese on the top should look good (brown) after an hour (30+30min) in oven. thin slice should be enough to tender the potato (mine isn’t thin enough, but it didn’t tender yet). also, i recommended not to add too much cheese (i.e. a thin layer of cheese should be enough).

some recipes on the internet suggested to put can cream soup / yogurt instead of heavy cream, but i think it depends on your choice. yogurt should be healthier than heavy cream. calories might be too high for heavy cream + cheddar cheese :P

anyway, it’s a easy-dish. worth to try and enjoy :)

baked crab in salt 鹽焗蟹

crab is good in july. after research in Internet and 2 testings in weekend, i am finally able to make good crab at home with minimal effort. this mainly based on the article from 蔡瀾.

for crab, i prefer 奄仔蟹 in which the crab is going to change its shell soon. i prefer medium sized crab. 2 reasons: too big > too expensive. too small > no meat :)

requirement for 4 persons

1. medium sized crabs (4 for 4 persons)
2. 1 pack of ice (hk$13 from 7-eleven)
3. 3 packs of salt (hk$2 each pack from supermarket)
4. 2 sheets of aluminum foil

step-by-step:

1. brush and wash the crab
2. keep them alive in kitchen but don’t untie the string
3. (50 min before you eat) cover the crabs with ice and add water for 30 mins.
4. cover the wok with aluminum foil, put 1 pack of salt on the foil
5. after icing the crabs for 30 mins, bring them up (one by one), untie the sting, clean again with brush
6. put all crabs upside down onto the salt, add 1-2 packs of salt until the crab covered by salt. if you have cake paper, you can cover the crabs with it.
7. open medium low fire for at least 20 min
8. it’s done when good smell coming out from the wok. if you can’t smell it, cook for few more minutes.

ice the crab is to make the crab ’sleep’. if you are not doing so, legs will be taken off when you bake the crab. also, don’t ice them more than 30 min as they will die (lose legs) as well. trust me as my crabs were no good after i iced them 2 hours in my first trial. 

sorry, no photos yet as the crabs are really good. forgot to spare time for photo :)