Steak and Mushroom Pies Bento

After two weeks holiday, the boys are ready for school again. For their lunches, I prepared their favourite : Steak and Mushroom Pies. We used to buy them before, but because my kids love them so much, I tried to make them myself and actually it is not that hard. Here I share you my recipe :

Steak and Mushroom Pies

Ingredients :
- 675g braised steak, cut into small pieces
- 225g button mushrooms, halved
- 200g store bought puff pastry
- 600ml beef stock
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbs cooking oil
- 25g of plain flour
- 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbs mushroom sauce
- egg or milk to glaze

Method :
1.Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan.
2.In the meantime, trim the fat from the meat and then toss in the flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
3.Fry the meat in the fat until browned and then add the onion and mushrooms.
4.Sprinkle the seasoned flour into the pan and cook until golden brown.
5.Add the Worcestershire sauce, mushroom sauce and add more seasoning.
6.Pour in enough stock to cover the beef and leave to simmer for 45 minutes.
7.Preheat the oven to a temperature of 150°C.
8.Roll out a single puff pastry on a flat surface. Use a large cookie cutter or any sort of circular lid to cut out a 4-inch circle of dough. Press each dough circle into the bottom of a muffin tin so that a tiny rim of dough remains sticking out the top. Repeat with remaining dough to fill all 12 muffin cups.
9.Fill each cup with about 1/4 cup pie filling, or until the filling nearly fills the cups.
10.Cut out a circle of dough just large enough to cover the top of the crust. Use your fingers to gently press the top crust to the bottom crust until they stick together and no gaps remain. (you can use fork to stick them together).
11.Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of each pie with the whisked egg. Then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden and the filling begins to bubble.
12. Remove and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Then very carefully use a knife to loosen the edges of each pie and gently lift each pie out. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Steak and mushroom pie
2. Chicken ragout risoles
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco (car-shaped)
4. Segmented orange for recess

My youngest son had the similar lunch with his brother. For the milk jelly he got the Doraemon shaped.

Kid's Favourite Bento

I love to put variety food in my kids' lunch boxes. This time, these are their favourites : sausage rolls, siomay and chicken ragout rissoles. Perfect snacks for little fingers.

Here I share the Chicken Ragout Rissoles recipe :

Chicken Ragout Rissoles
adapted from Indochine Kitchen

Ingredients:
For filling
1 onion, chopped
125 g chicken, cubed
150 g carrots, boiled and cubed
150 g potatoes, boiled and cubed ( I used sweet corn kernel instead)
50 g peas
30 g celery, boiled and cubed
125 ml milk
75 g flour
200 ml chicken stock
1 1/2 tbsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil

For skin wrapper
1 egg
50 ml milk
1/2 tsp salt
70 g flour
150 g water
1 tbsp butter, melted

For crumbing
4 egg whites
400 g bread crumbs
Oil for deep-frying

directions:
For filling
Heat oil over medium heat. Stir-fry onion until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add chicken pieces, cook for about 3 more minutes.
Combine carrot, corn kernel, celery and peas into the wok. Continue cooking until all ingredients are well distributed, about 2 minutes.
Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.
Add flour and stir continuously for 5 minutes.
Pour milk and chicken stock into the wok. Let simmer for 5 minutes, till the mixture thickens, stirring a couple of times to ensure even cooking.
Turn off heat and let cool.

For wrapper
Combine flour, salt, water milk, butter and egg yolk in a bowl.
Whisk mixture to a thin batter.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a lightly oiled and preheated non-stick pan (20cm).
Cook until the sides start to curl up, about 1-2 minutes over medium heat.
Loosen the sides with fork and flip the pan quickly on a plate to get the wrapper off.
Continue with the rest of the batter.

For assembling
Place a tablespoon of filling into the middle of a wrapper.
Roll the side of wrapper away from you, form a 5cm log.
Fold both sides to the middle, ensuring no gaps.
Roll the risoles up and brush the tip with egg white for sealing.

For crumbing
Prepare two plates, egg white and crumbs each.
Dip risoles into egg white. Coat it with crumbs.
Dip the crumbed risoles back into egg white and coat it again with more crumbs.

For frying
Heat cooking oil in a saucepan.
Lower the rolls into hot oil, two or three at a time.

Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Ready to serve.


Details as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Sausage roll (recipe here) and BBQ sauce
2. Siomay (recipe here)
3. Chicken ragout risoles
4. Apple cuts for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Sausage roll (recipe here) 
2. Siomay (recipe here)
3. Chicken ragout risoles (recipe here)
4. Roast beetroot sticks
5. Segmented orange for recess

Macaroni, Broccoli, and Bacon Loaf

Another yummy recipe for the boys, perfect for school lunch or snack after school. Here I share you the recipe :

Macaroni, Broccoli, and Bacon Loaf

Ingredients :
- 1 layer of store-bought puff pastry, thawed
- 225 gr Macaroni, boiled until al dente 
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g middle bacon rashers, trimmed, chopped
- 1 bunch of broccoli, boiled and chopped
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat grated tasty cheese
- 1/3 cup self-raising flour
- 5 eggs, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper to taste

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. 
2. Grease a 6cm-deep, 10cm x 21cm (base) loaf pan. 
3. Line base and sides with puff pastry. Prick it with fork randomly. 
4. Boil macaroni in salty water until al dente. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. 
6. Add onion, garlic and bacon. Cook, stir often, for 4 to 5 minutes until bacon is starting to brown. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
7. Add bacon mixture, chopped broccoli, cheese, flour and egg to macaroni. 
8. Season, and mix until well combined. 
9. Pour into prepared pan. 
10. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden and firm. 
11. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
12. Transfer loaf to a chopping board and  slice.
13. Serve it with tomato ketchup or sweet chili sauce.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Macaroni, broccoli, and bacon loaf with sweet chili sauce
2. Homemade apple pie
3. Honey dew jelly
4. Rockmelon cuts for recess

A similar lunch for my youngest son, but he preferred tomato ketcup for the loaf instead.

Chicken Karaage Bento

Another holiday activity with my boys, this time we assembled a meal in the bento box to share together. I've shared the Okonomiyaki recipe in my last post. I made few extras at that time then I froze them (without the topping) and took them out whenever I needed.

So this time, I share another yummy recipe :

Chicken Karaage 

Ingredients:
450 gr boneless and skinless chicken breasts/chicken thighs (cut into small pieces)
3 cm fresh ginger (peeled and pounded with a mortar and pestle to extract 1 tablespoons of ginger juice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
Corn starch to coat the chicken
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. Use paper towels to pat dry the chicken pieces and transfer to a bowl.
2. Add in sake, ginger juice, soy sauce, sesame oil (optional) and marinate for 30 minutes. 
3. Transfer the chicken pieces out of the marinate and coat them evenly with corn starch. Shake off excess.
4. Deep-fry in oil for two times. 
5. Heat up a wok/pot of cooking oil until it is hot enough for frying. 
6. Drop the chicken pieces into the oil and quickly deep fry them until they float. 7. Transfer them out onto a plate and wait for a couple of minutes. 
8. Put the chicken back into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown and crunchy. 
9. Dish out to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. 10. Ready to serve

This bento box consists of :
1. White steamed rice with sprinkles of black sesame seed
2. Chicken karaage
3. Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and Japanese mayonaise (Kewpie) on top.
4. Pickled red ginger
5. Watermelon cuts

I used these foodpicks in this post :

Okonomiyaki

I've heard about Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake) for quite some time and am really curious to have a taste. Today, I had a chance to make it. 
There are so many versions of Okonomiyaki, so I tried to adapt several recipes and adjusted it with the ingredients I had at home. It is quite yummy, I supposed :)

Here I share my recipe :

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)
serves : 4

Ingredients :
8 cups cabbage (about a whole large cabbage), finely diced
1 cup squid (optional), chopped into small piece
Oil
100 gr pork minced
1 small onion, chopped

Okonomiyaki Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup dashi (Japanese stock)
4 eggs
1/4 cup pickled red ginger, sliced 

Toppings
Okonomi sauce 
Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie mayo)
Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
Green onions, finely chopped
Pickled red ginger (Kizami Beni Shoga) for garnish

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder.
2. Whisk dashi stock and flour mixture together in a bowl until smooth and set aside. 
3. Meanwhile, remove the core of the cabbage and finely dice the cabbage (finer the better).
4. In the bowl, add eggs, Tenkasu, and Pickled Ginger, and mix well. Then add squid and mix again.
5. Stir in the cabbage.
6. In a non-stick frying pan heat oil on medium to medium high heat. Scoop one ladle of batter and place on the pan. 
7. Do not flatten the mixture because it will easily break when you turn it over.
8. Place 2 tbs pork minced on top of Okonomiyaki and cook covered for 5 minutes.
9. When the bottom side is nicely browned, turn it over and cook covered for another 5 minutes.
10. Turn over one more time and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
11. Apply Okonomi Sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, and sprinkle katsuobushi. 12. You can also put green onions and pickled red ginger on top for garnish.
13. Enjoy!

White Chocolate, Pistachios and Oat Cookies

During school holidays, the boys are always hungry. This afternoon, I tried to whip up some ingredients in the pantry and made these white chocolate, pistachios and oat cookies.

The original recipe is from Better Home and Garden. It is called white chocolate, walnut and oat biscuits. But I swapped the walnut with pistachios and it tasted delicious!

Here I share the recipe :

White Chocolate, Pistachios and Oat Cookies
Adapted from Better Home and Garden

Ingredients :
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 50ml hot milk
- 225g butter, chopped
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1¼ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 100g pistachios, finely chopped
- 175g white cooking chocolate, finely chopped

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 3 oven trays with baking paper.
2. Put oats and milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium, using paddle attachment, until pale and fluffy, then beat in egg. 
4. Add flour, baking powder, pistachios, chocolate and oat mixture. Stir until combined.
5. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. 
6. Arrange on prepared trays, 4cm apart.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. 
8. Cool on trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Serve.

Prawn, Mango, and Avocado Salad

Happy New Year! This is my first post in 2016 and I'm so excited to share you this recipe. I made the Prawn, Mango, and Avocado Salad for our Christmas gathering, and it became a hit. The flavour combination of prawn and mango was so incredibly delicious!

Here I share you the recipe :

Prawn, Mango, and Avocado Salad

Ingredients :
400g cooked tiger prawns
2 mangoes, cut into 2cm cubes
2 avocados, cut into 2cm cubes
1 organic baby cos lettuce, leaves separated 
1 lemon 
1 garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method :
1. Peel and devein the prawns. Place in a bowl with mango, avocado and baby cos lettuce leaves.
2. Grate the zest of half a lemon, then juice the rest of the lemon. 
3. Place the lemon zest and juice in a small bottle with lid, together with the coriander, chilli, garlic, salt, and olive oil. 
4. Shake the bottle until the ingredients mixed well.
5. Pour over prawn mixture and toss to combine.
6. Sprinkle black pepper on top.
7. Enjoy!

Panda Wraps Bento

We had chicken roast leftover, so I decided to make wrap for the kids' lunch boxes. The wrap contains roast chicken, wrap, grated carrot, lettuce, avocado, roma tomato with cheese, sour cream and BBQ sauce. I sticked in Panda foodpick for extra cuteness.

Alongside the wrap, I added bitterballens (Dutch Beef Croquettes)for them. Here I share you the recipe :

Bitterballen

Ingredients :
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup beef broth
1 beef top sirloin steak (3/4 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used Corned beef instead)
1 small carrot, diced
1 small celery stick, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/3 cups dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon canola oil

Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions :
1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. 
2. Stir in flour until smooth. 
3. Gradually add broth; bring to a boil. 
4. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. 
5. Carefully add meat/corned beef, cook and stir for 2-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. 
6. Add diced carrot and celery, stir for another 1 minutes. 
7. Stir in the salt, nutmeg and pepper. 
8. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until chilled.
9. Place bread crumbs in a small shallow bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and oil. 
10. Drop meat mixture by tablespoonfuls into bread crumbs; shape into balls. 11. Dip meatballs in egg mixture, then coat again with crumbs. 
12. In a deep fryer, heat oil to 375°.

13. Fry meatballs, a few at a time, for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown on all sides. 
14. Drain on paper towels.


Details for the bento boxes as below :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Chicken wrap
2. Bitterballens
3. Corn on the cob
4. Carrot sticks
5. Watermelon cuts for recess

My youngest son had the similar lunches with his big brother, but he had banana for recess instead.

The lunches were packed in Easy Lunchboxes and decorated with Panda foodpick. You may find them here:

      

Potato Croquettes Bento

The potato croquettes remind me of my childhood back in Indonesia. I used to go to the market with my mom, and she always bought me this croquette for a snack. Now I make them for my sons, and they are fond of them too :)
Here is the recipe :

Indonesian Potato Croquettes

Ingredients :

Potato Mash:
600 gr potatoes
1 lightly beaten egg
pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper

salt to taste

Filling:
250gr minced chicken
1 small onion
1 large garlic clove
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 pcs carrots, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas and corn
1 tsp white sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Coating:
2 large eggs
1 to 1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups breadcrumbs 
+ oil for deep-frying (canola or peanut oil)

Method :

For potato mash :
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them in slightly salted water for 25 minutes until completely tender.
2. Drain the potatoes and sprinkle in the nutmeg and white pepper. Start mashing until creamy and lump-free.
3. Let the potatoes cool off a little before adding the egg. 
4. Stir in the egg. This will make it rich, creamy, and a lot easier to work with.

For the filling :
1. Chop the onion. Heat a little butter and sauté the onion until it turns soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add minced chicken and break it up with a spatula. Cook until it loses its pinkness.
3. Add the diced carrot, peas and corn.
4. Crumble in a bouillon cube, black pepper, nutmeg and pour in the kecap manis. Let it simmer for a minute or two and let the mixture cool off.

For finishing up :
1. Use 3 shallow plates and fill them with flour, lightly beaten eggs and breadcrumbs.
2. Grab about a 2 tbs mashed potatoes, flatten it a bit, place a tbsp of the meat mixture in the center, gently fold the mashed potatoes around the meat.
3. Roll the croquette in the flour and shake off the excess flour, do the same with the egg and breadcrumb.
4. Repeat for all the mixture and the mashed potatoes.
5. Cover the croquettes with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Preferably overnight.
6. Deep-fry the croquettes (don’t overcrowd the pan) at 180ºC for 4 to 5 minutes until beautifully golden brown and crunchy on the outside.

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Potato croquette
2. Chicken, bacon, and leek pie (recipe here)
3. Corn on the cob
4. Carrot sticks
5. Sultanas
6. Kiwi for recess

 

My eldest son had the similar lunch with his brother, but he had apple cuts for recess instead.

The lunches are packed in Easy Lunchboxes. You may find them here :

Scotch Egg and Sausage Roll Bento

I packed the boys' school lunches in Easy Lunchboxes. These lunchboxes soon become my favourite because it is spacious and very easy to clean. 

I tried the scotch egg recipe from My Kitchen Rules 2015 contestants, Will and Steve and quite enjoy the flavour. Here I share you the recipe :

Scotch Egg with Herb Mayonnaise 
by Will and Steve (My Kitchen Rules 2015 Contestants)

Ingredients :

Salt and pepper, to season
4 eggs, plus 1 extra, lightly beaten
400g pork sausage meat
1 tsp ground fennel
1½ tsp English mustard
15g (¼ cup) fresh breadcrumbs
Plain flour, to dust
90g (1¼ cup) fresh breadcrumbs, plus extra, to coat
Thinly sliced fennel and radish, to serve

HERB MAYONNAISE

3 egg yolks
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
250ml (1 cup) light olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp finely chopped sage
1 tsp finely chopped parley
1 tsp finely chopped dill

Method :
To make mayonnaise, process egg yolks, vinegar and lemon juice in a food processor until well combined. With the motor running, gradually add oil, drop by drop at first, then in a thin, steady stream until thick and emulsified. Stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until required.

Place eggs in a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place in iced water to cool completely. Peel. Combine sausage meat with fennel, mustard and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Divide into four portions.

Using slightly moistened hands, roll one portion into a ball and flatten evenly in the palm of your hand. Place 1 egg in centre and fold in sausage meat, shaping and moulding to form an even layer around egg. Repeat with remaining sausage meat and eggs.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Dust meat-wrapped eggs in flour, dip in extra egg and then coat in breadcrumbs. Dip again in egg and breadcrumbs to form a double layer.
Fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan one-third full with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to 180C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). 

Dust each meat-wrapped egg in four, then dip in extra egg, allow excess to drain off, then coat in breadcrumbs. Repeat to form a double layer. 
Gently drop eggs into the oil and fry, turning halfway, for 2-3 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Add to an oven tray and roast for 8-10 minutes or until extra crisp.
Serve scotch eggs with mayonnaise, fennel and radish.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Scotch Egg with herb mayo
2. Risoles ragout
3. Broccoli and cheese
4. Carrot sticks
5. Green seedless grape for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Sausage roll with tomato ketchup
2. Risoles ragout
3. Milk jelly with nata de coco
4. Corn on the cob
5. Carrot sticks
6. Green seedless grape for recess

You may find Easy Lunchbox here :

Moist Banana Muffins

I tried the banana muffins recipe from Kidspot and I'm so pleased with the result. It was so moist and delicious, perfect for school lunch or snack after school. Here is the recipe :

Sour Cream Banana Muffins
Adapted from Kidspot

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
12 pecans (I omit due to no nuts school policy)

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180ºC. Place patty pans in a 12 cup muffin tray.

Mix flour sugar and baking soda together.

Beat egg and add bananas, sour cream, butter and vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon.

Pour flour into wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

Pour 1/2 cup measures into each patty pan place a pecan on each cup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

For my youngest son, I prepared:
1. Sour cream banana muffin
2. Pork siomay
3. Homemade fruit jelly
4. Sausages
5. Apple cuts for recess

His elder brother had the same lunch, but he had watermelon cuts for recess instead.

Cute Monster Bento

I baked my boys' favourite dish which is "pastel tutup" (Mini Stuffed Potato Casserole). For extra cuteness, I put the fun eyes picks with nori and cuts of crab sticks for the monster expression.

You may find the picks here :

The Easy Lunchbox consists of :
1. Cute monster mini casserole
2. Corn on the cob
3. Broccoli and cheese
4. Milk jelly with nata de coco 
5. Grapes on the stick
6. Apple checkered

Baymax Onigiri Bento

We had leftover dinner (Honey Sesame Chicken) that the boys enjoyed so much, they wanted to bring those for school lunches. I made their favourite character from Big Hero 6 movie, Baymax onigiri to go with the chicken. It was so easy. I mould the onigiri with plastic wrap and add nori for the face details.

Here I share you the delicious honey and sesame chicken recipe :

Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

500 gr boneless chicken thigh, cut into 1-inch cubes
Oil, for deep-frying
2 garlic, minced
Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Frying Batter:

1 egg white
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water, ice cold
1 tablespoon oil
Pinch of salt

Honey Sesame Sauce:

1/3 cup pure honey
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Whisk all the "frying batter" ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.
2. Drop in the chicken cubes, mix well until they are well coated. Set aside.
3. Mix all the ingredients of the "garlic sesame sauce" together and set aside.
4. Heat up a saute pan and add about 2-inch of oil on medium to high heat. 5. When the hot is fully heated, gently drop in the battered chicken cubes, one by one, making sure it is spread out to prevent sticking together. 
5. Continue to fry until the color changes to golden brown. 
6. Dish out and drain on paper towels.
7. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the frying oil in a wok or skillet, stir-fry the garlic until aromatic. 
8. Add in the Honey Sesame Sauce, and bring to a light simmer or until the sauce thickens. 
9. Drop in the chicken, stir-fry a few times to combine the sauce and chicken, add the sesame seeds, dish out and serve immediately with steamed white rice, or Chinese fried rice.

Inside the boxes :

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Baymax onigiri
2. Honey sesame chicken
3. Boiled carrot sticks and beans
4. Apple cuts for recess

My youngest son had the similar lunches with his brother, but he had kiwi fruit instead for recess.

Quiche and Mini Croissant Bento

Today I would love to share my favourite quiche recipe. It is perfect for school lunch filler or snack after school. Here is the recipe :

Mushroom, Leek, and Bacon Mini quiche

Ingredients:

400 grams Sliced button mushrooms
75 grams butter
1 medium leek, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
2 rashers of bacon, diced
4-5 eggs
½ cup cream or milk
Salt & pepper to taste
3 sheets frozen puff pastry
½ cup grated tasty cheese

Method:

1. Thaw pastry and pre-heat oven to 210 degrees. 
2. Lightly grease with spray oil a 12 cup muffin tin (standard size). 
3. Use a jar or cutter to cut out 4 circles from each thawed pastry sheet, large enough to line muffin cups. 
4. Once all muffin cups are lined with pastry, make a small cross in the bottom of each pastry cup with a bread knife, for even cooking.
5. Fry mushrooms, sliced leek, and garlic in butter until golden brown, set aside. 
6. Cook bacon and combine with mushrooms. 
7. Evenly divide mixture between all 12 cups. 
8. Combine eggs, cream and salt and pepper in a jug and whisk together. 
9. Pour egg mixture evenly between all 12 cups and top with grated cheese.
10. Cook in pre-heated oven for 25 minutes or until pastry browned and cheese melted.

For my eldest son, I prepared :
1. Mushroom, leek, and bacon quiche
2. Ham and cheese mini croissant
3. Dried sultanas
4. Pineapple cuts for recess

For my youngest son, I prepared :
1. Mushroom, leek, and bacon quiche
2. Ham and cheese mini croissant
3. Diced beetroot
4. Apple cuts for recess