I didn’t win toto again. Toto is the lottery draw in Singapore. Every Chinese New Year, there will be a special $10 million draw which attract lots of people to buy. It is like buying a hope. A hope that will change our lives forever. According to my horoscope predictions for this year, I am supposed to be fabulously rich. For chinese zodiac, we go by the year instead of months. This meaning that which zodiac you fall under depends on the year you are born. To find out more, you can click here. For me, I am a Rooster. I was supposed to have some kind of big windfall in January or February. Thus, Elvis and I were really excited about this draw, both of us being roosters. The draw was last friday. When the results came in that night, I stopped work and checked my tickets. I didn’t win. Neither did Elvis. I went back to work. Overnight. Where did my windfall go??!!!
On the bright side, February is not over yet. Maybe my windfall will come next week? Here is my second attempt on tarts. I used my beloved food processor to make the dough. It works like a dream. (Look ma, no mess!!!) I saw this recipe at Smitten Kitchen and thought it was pretty easy to follow. The result was much better than my lack lustre chocolate ganache tart so I was pretty satisfied with it. For now, it is back to work. 
Whole Lemon Tart
(Adapted from Rollet-Pradier via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets)
1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell (see below), or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon works fine but a Meyer lemon works even better; the former will taste sharper, the latter more mild)
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.
2. Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. Pour the filling into the crust.
3. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and lightly browned. Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature.
The Great Unshrinkable Sweet Tart Shell
(Adapted from Dorie Greenspan)
Makes enough for one 9-inch tart crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.) Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change–heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, for about 2 hours before rolling.
2. To roll the dough: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. (Alternately, you can roll this out between two pieces of plastic, though flour the dough a bit anyway.) Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork.
Alternately, you can press the dough in as soon as it is processed: Press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture.
3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.
4. To fully or partially bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer to fully bake it, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. (To partially bake it, only an additional 5 minutes is needed.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature, and proceed with the rest of your recipe.
Do ahead: The dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, the flavor will be fresher bake it directly from the freezer, already rolled out.
) This time, I made a steamed lemon cake. It has a very light lemon flavour, just a hint of its presence. The cake has a tight crumb, and best served as a light breakfast, or afternoon tea snack.
When I told my mother that I wanted to attempt the lemon chiffon cake again, she immediately pooh-poohed my idea. She reminded me that the last time I did it, it turned out to be a very sour lemon sponge cake instead. Blah blah blah. As if I needed any reminders of the last boo-boo. ‘Gimme a second chance! I am sure I will get it right this time.’ I protested. At least, I hoped that I will get it right this time. I revised the recipe a little, after learning from my mistakes. I added 2 lemons instead of 3, and an extra egg white.
