Chef Kar Delight: October 2024

Halloween Delights 2024

Halloween is a celebration observed in many countries such as Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints’ Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

Popular Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror or Halloween-themed films. Some people practice the Christian observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, although it is a secular celebration for others. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

The main theme of Halloween is about ghosts, scare, and related to death, magic, monsters. Usually, things that related to Halloween are pumpkin, ghostbusters, ghoul, witch, bat, black cat, owl, elf, zombie, skeleton, demon. vampire and Frankenstein. Black and orange are the traditional colours of Halloween. However, modern products use a lot of purple, green and red. Autumn elements such as pumpkin and scarecrow are symbol of Halloween.

This year Halloween falls on Thursday October 31, 2024, I Chef Kar made my new creative Halloween Delights to share with my good friends.

Halloween Delights 2024

1. Pumpkin Mooncakes +

Bat Cookies + Ghostbusters Cookies

2. Traditional Pumpkin Pie +
Bat Cookies + Ghostbusters Cookies

3. Bird Nest Pumpkin Pie +
Bat Cookies + Ghostbusters Cookies

1. Pumpkin Mooncakes + Bat Cookies + Ghostbusters Cookies

Pumpkin Mooncakes

Body

Mooncake Stuffing: pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt

Method:
1. Add water and steam cook pumpkin puree. Drain out water.
2. Use a spoon to smash the cooked pumpkin puree. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Add oil, roll into balls

Syrup: 2 slab sugar, add 1 cup of water, use a pan to cook to reduce water to form syrup

Mooncake Skin: Syrup Skin
Syrup Skin Ingredients: low gluten flour (bread flour) 175g, syrup 125g, corn oil 30g, lye water 1g

Stem: Dark rye flour, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, pure vanilla extract

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients gently; do not knead to avoid forming gluten; flour dough is not sticky.
2. Use folding method: use hands to flatten flour dough, fold flour dough, repeat this process 8 time. Place the folded dough in fridge for 1 hour.
3. Use 2 the same half pumpkin cake molds. For each mold, according to size of it, cut a piece of dough and make a thin layer about 1 cm on the mold, then fill it up with Cake Stuffing. Wet the rims of the dough with water so that the two molds will be closed tightly . Put the two molds together to form a complete pumpkin. Mix all ingredients for the stem and form a dough. Cut out a small piece of dough to form a stem. Place a stem on the top center of the pumpkin.
4. Place pumpkin mooncake in oven at 350°F; bake to golden brown.

Bat Cookies: Dark rye flour, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, pure vanilla extract

Ghostbusters Cookies: all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, pure vanilla extract

2. Traditional Pumpkin Pie + Bat Cookies + Ghostbusters Cookies

Traditional Pumpkin Pie:

Pie crest (Butter Puff dough): all-purpose flour, corn starch, salt, water, unsalted butter
Fillings: pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt

3. Bird Nest Pumpkin Pie + Bat Cookies + Ghostbusters Cookies

Bird Nest Pumpkin Pie:

Pie crest: Kataifi shredded fillo dough, unsalted butter

Fillings: pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt

Happy Halloween!

Next, Cariboo Lodge Kar Cuisine Part 1 of 3

Coming Soon, Seasonal Salad Around The World : Asia Part 1 of 4

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

Byrne Creek Thanksgiving Dinner

October 17, 2024

Thank You card and Gift card from

Marleni of Burnaby Neighbourhood House Program Supervisor

▲"Huge thanks for your support preparing a delicious dinner for Thanksgiving event at Byrne Creek. All attendants enjoyed and felt grateful for your kindness and food. Vanessa and Rufia also thank to teach them on how to prepare salads and chicken grill. Thank you for cooking."

From Marleni BNH Prog. Supervisor.

❤ Italian Roasted Chicken ; Spring Mix Salad ; Mashed Potatoes

▲ Byrne Creek Manor

Marleni, who is the BC Housing Seniors Activity Supervisor at Burnaby Neighbourhood House, invited me Chef Kar to prepare the Thanksgiving Dinner at Byrne Creek Manor in Edmonds on Thursday, October 17, 2024.

Burnaby Neighbourhood House runs community programs for low income seniors in their living complex around Edmonds area. Byrne Creek Manor is located at 7101 14th Avenue, Burnaby. This 5-storey manor is direct managed facilities overseen by BC Housing.
BC Housing is a provincial Crown agency responsible for subsidized housing options across the province.

Marleni who was hosting the event bought the ingredients.

Two volunteers Rufia and Vanessa helped me to prepare the ingredients, plate and deliver the foods to guests.

Total Guests Attended: 35 senior residents

Byrne Creek Thanksgiving Dinner

5pm Thursday October 17, 2024

Main:

Italian Roasted Chicken

Chicken Thighs With Skin, Onion, Garlic, Lemon, Olive Oil, Salt, Sugar, Chicken bones soup

Poultry Seasoning: Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Black pepper

Chicken bones soup: Chicken bones, Onion, Carrots, Celeries, Bay leaves

Cranberry Gravy: Fresh Cranberries, Sage leaves, Roasted chicken juice, Chicken bones soup, Sugar, Salt, Black pepper, Corn starch

Cranberry Sauce: Fresh Cranberries, Sugar, Water

Italian Salad

Spring Mix (Baby Lettuces, Baby Greens, Chicories), Roma Tomatoes

Italian Dressing: Extra Virgin Olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Parsley, Sugar, Salt, Black Pepper

Sides:

Mashed potatoes

Potatoes, Water, Butter, Sour cream, Parsley leaves, Salt, Black pepper

Rice

Basmati rice

▲ Hall Tower 1 & 2

Prep and Cook

We prepared and cooked the foods at Hall Tower 1 & 2, 7272 and 7264 Kingsway in Edmonds Town Centre.

On Wednesday October 16, from 9:30am-3pm, we marinated chicken thighs; cooked chicken bones soup; boiled potatoes and prepared Italian salad dressing.

On Thursday October 17, from 10am-2pm we formally baked chicken thighs; prepared mashed potatoes and salad; cooked cranberry sauce and gravy.

Then we transferred the cooked foods to Byrne Creek Manor ready to be served.

▲ Rufia

Vanessa was preparing too but not in the photo.

▲ Byrne Creek Manor

At around 2:00 pm, Marleni drove Rufia, Vanessa and me with the prepared foods to Byrne Creek Manor. Everything was ready for the Thanksgiving dinner.