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Archive for November, 2009

Cereal Milk Panna Cotta from Momofuku

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , , on November 29, 2009| 27 Comments »

Cereal Milk "panna cotta", avocado puree, caramelized cornflakes and that chocolate peanut butter thing

How important is breakfast to you?  What do you normally have? Do you sit down with a great big bowl of cereal and milk to start your day?  What about some toast with peanut butter? Or maybe even toast with avocado? Sounds like pretty standard breakfast fare to me… boring even…

After trying Momofuku’s Cereal Milk (which is supposed to be a dessert :)), you may never look at breakfast food in the same way again!  Cereal Milk was the brainchild of Christina Tosi, Momofuku’s Pastry Chef.  It is a panna cotta infused with cereal, avocado puree, caramelized cornflakes and a great slab of chocolate.  This dessert is definitely something you would want to end your day with… and maybe even start it!

Don’t be intimated by this dessert, there are lots of components but everything is easy to make and the results are worth it!

Recipe – adapted from David Chang’s Momofuku

  • 6 cups cornflakes
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 sheets gelatin (titanium strength, weighing 6 grams each)

Garnish

Avocado Puree (recipe follows)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing (recipe follows)

Caramelized Cornflakes (recipe follows)

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150c, fan forced).  Spread the cornflakes on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven.  Toast the cereal for 12 minutes, it will deepen lightly in colour and more so in flavour.  Cool the cereal on the sheet for a few minutes just until it’s no longer hot to the touch.
  2. Combine the milk and cream in a container large enough to accommodate them and the cornflakes.  Add the warm cornflakes, stir to combine, and let steep for 30 minutes (I initially did this for 40 minutes which was too long, had to throw out the first batch as the finished custard was too starchy.)
  3. Strain the milk, passing it through a fine mesh sieve and pressing on the cornflakes with the back of a rubber spatula to extract as much liquid from them as possible.  Pass the milk through the strainer one more time and transfer to a microwave-safe container.  You should have around 3 cups of liquid. (This is important to note because when you add the gelatin sheets, the amount you add will depend on how much liquid you have.  If you  get less or more liquid then adjust the amount of gelatin)
  4. Add the brown sugar and salt to the milk, and heat it in the microwave on low power for 1 1/2 minutes – just long enough for the sugar to dissolve easily.  Give the milk a quick gentle stir to help disperse the sugar.
  5. Soften the gelatin in 2 cups of cold water.  After 2 to 3 minutes – when it’s supple and no longer crisp, remove it from the water, wring it out, and add it to the cereal milk.  Stir it once or twice to melt the gelatin in the milk.
  6. Divide the milk among eight 5 to6 ounce ramekins, or use a silicone mold.  If you are serving the custard out of the containers you chilled it in, cover them and reserve until ready to serve.  If you’re using silicone molds, put them in the freezer for an hour or so, and custard blocks will pop out just like ice cubes.  Store them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  7. To serve, plop a large dollop – a couple of tablespoons – of avocado puree just off the center of 8 large white places, then use the back of the spoon to drag some of it across each plate.  Put a cereal milk custard down in the avocado trail, leave a cup of chocolate peanut butter thing up against it, and scatter caramelized cornflakes on the plate with restraint.  Otherwise, if serving in a clear glass or ramekin, spoon some avocado puree on top of the custard and sprinkle the caramelized cornflakes to finish.

Avocado Puree – prepare the puree as close as possible to the time you intend to serve it.

  • 1 ripe hass avocado, halved, pitted and peeled
  • pinch of citric acid
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • pinch of sugar
  1. Chill the avocado until cold, or for up to 5 hours.
  2. Combine the avocado, citric acid, salt and sugar in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Place in a bowl with a piece of plastic wrap pressed up against the exposed surface of the puree, until ready to serve.

Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing (the original recipe is a chocolate hazelnut thing that calls for gianduja and and praline paste but I substituted peanut butter for the praline paste and milk chocolate for the gianduja instead)

  • 1/4 cup praline paste or peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup gianduja or milk chocolate
  • 1/4 teaspoon grapeseed oil or any neutral oil
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon smallish pieces bittersweet chocolate, ideally 70% to 72% cacao range
  • 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons caramelized cornflakes
  1. Combine the peanut butter, milk chocolate, oil salt, chocolate and corn syrup in a microwave-safe container and stir to combine.  Microwave the mixture or 10 seconds, then stir it up, and repeat four or five more times, until the mixture is fluid and homogeneous.
  2. Spread the mixture out in a 1/4 inch thick layer (not any thinner) on a silpat lined baking sheet, and scatter the chocolate puddle with the caramelized cornflakes.   Freeze it to set, which should take around 20 minutes (though you can leave it in the freezer longer).
  3. Grab the frozen piece of chocolate peanut butter thing from the freezer and break it into random, uneven pieces.  Store them in a sealed contained in the freezer until ready to use, or for up to a few weeks.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Thing

Caramelized Cornflakes

  • 3/4 cup cornflakes
  • 3 tablespoons dry powdered milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
  1. Heat the oven to 275F (130c fan forced).  Put the cornflakes in a large bowl and crush them with your hands.  Seven or eight squeezes should be enough, you want crumbles, not powder.
  2. Stir together the milk powder, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.  Add the butter to the cornflakes and sprinkle the sugar mixture over them.  Toss and stir to coat the cereal evenly.
  3. Spread out the cereal on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or silpat) and bake for 20 minutes, or until the milk powder and sugar start to caramelize and turn a satisfying deep golden colour.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  The flakes will keep, in a sealed container at room temperature, for at least a week.

Caramelized Cornflakes

Lastly, if you are so inclined to make your own praline paste – here it is:

Praline Paste

  • 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • tiny pinch of salt
  1. Heat the oven to 400F (200 C fan forced)
  2. Spread out the hazelnut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until they’ve warmed through and aromatic.  Remove from the oven and let cool.
  3. Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.  Leave it alone and let it start to caramelize around the edges of the pan before you begin to stir it with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon.  Patiently and attentively shepherd the sugar into a state of delicious caramelization: stir it slowly and constantly, until it’s medium amber – like the color of grade B maple syrup – and is very fluid.
  4. Put the hazelnuts into a food processor, add the caramel and salt and process for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the hot sweet mush from the sides of the bowl as often as necessary until it comes together into a smooth, even paste.  Store the praline in the refrigerator for weeks, if not months, until ready to use.

Cereal Milk - Momofuku

Note:  The first time I made this the gelatin did not set as I used too little gelatin for the liquid I had resulting in a big glob (though very tasty).  I was relying on the recipe which said 2 sheets (4 grams) but the resulting panna cotta  was too soft.  I was ready to start again but got some great advice from Y of Lemonpi who suggested that I could melt the glob again really gently and add more pre-soaked gelatin.   It worked beautifully!

Gelatin sheets vary a lot so to avoid this happening to you, take note of how much gelatin is needed to set the liquid, it should be written at the back of the pack. Otherwise, if you need more gelatin to set the custard, follow Y’s advice!

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Daring Bakers Challenge: Cannoli

Posted in Cook, Dare, tagged , on November 26, 2009| 37 Comments »

There are many great quotes referring to the delicious cannoli.  The two below are my favourites.

“Leave the gun, take the cannoli”… Clemenza from The Godfather.

“I’ve never had cannoli before.  But if they are supposed to taste this good, I should have had them much sooner.” – My husband’s exact words when he tried the cannoli I made for this month’s Daring Bakers Challenge…

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

Leave the gun... take the cannoli - Clemenza from The Godfather

Lisa has also been kind enough to put in PDF the  Cannoli recipe.  The only change I made was to increase the amount of marsala wine (I added another 1/4 cup) and an egg until the dough was wet enough to knead.  Unfortunately my first batch was too dry so I had to start over – but it was worth it!

As for the filling, I used a combination of candied oranges and dark chocolate.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Cannoli

Grazie Lisa for a great challenge!  Your detailed instructions made a world of difference – it gave me so much confidence to tackle the challenge.

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Giving Thanks… and a Part 2

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on November 25, 2009| 32 Comments »

Roast Turkey for Two with 30 Cloves of Garlic

Hold on… if you have landed on this page without reading my part 1 – please take a step back and read here.

Of course you knew it would be a happy ending…

Where did we last part? Ahh yes… he stopped calling.

Well, of course he didn’t STOP calling. After all, we still had to deal with each other on a professional level. We still talked two or three times a day but conversations were short, hasty and all about work. Gone were his morning calls just to chitchat. No more flirtatious banter. This went on for three long weeks.

I have to admit – I missed him. What is mistook for “weakness” when he used to give in to my requests I now saw as being extremely thoughtful. I used to think it was boring when he talked about complex deals relating to work and now I realized his ideas were fascinating and I wanted to learn more.

I missed his thoughtfulness. What I previously perceived as being a goody goody two shoes to my parents was now indescribably endearing.

“Whatever happened to that nice young man who brought us all the cakes?” my Mom asked. My Dad seemed a little sad to have lost his tennis partner.

I was remorseful of what I had done and knew I deserved it. Don’t you think that the only thing more bitter than swallowing our pride is being lonely. So I picked up the phone on night and I called him.

Roast Turkey Leg, 30 Cloves of Garlic and Roast Baby Carrots

I expected that he would make it hard for me. Maybe he would not answer my call. Or maybe he would give me the same treatment I had given him for the last few months. Maybe he was dating someone new.

BUT HE IS NOT THAT KIND OF PERSON.

So my friends, I’m sorry if you were expecting a long drawn out story about how we finally reconciled but truth is he was kind enough to forget how mean I was and we talked that night as if the last three weeks never happened.

The next day – at 3:00 pm I got my belgian waffles.

So… As many of us celebrate Thanksgiving across the world – we reflect on what we are most thankful for. My “thankful for” list extends for several pages but I have bored you enough as it is.

So I will leave you knowing that the one thing I am most thankful for is my husband…

And while we can’t be together this Thanksgiving – here is the recipe for the early Thanksgiving Meal we shared last week.

What are YOU most thankful for today?

Roast Turkey Leg for Two with 30 Cloves of Garlic and Roast Baby Carrots (inspired from Almost Bourdain)

Recipe

  • 1 Turkey Leg, deboned (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 30 cloves of garlic
  • 60 grams butter
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • fresh thyme leaves
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch baby carrots
  1. Pre heat the oven to 170c (fan forced)
  2. Lay the deboned turkey leg flat on a surface and season with salt and pepper. Add a few springs of fresh thyme and tie the turkey leg into three portions using some butcher’s twine.
  3. Top the turkey with butter, olive oil and salt and pepper. Scatter the garlic cloves around the turkey.
  4. Roast the turkey for 10 minutes and then add the baby carrots.
  5. Continue to roast the carrots and turkey for another 40 to 45 minutes until the turkey is cooked through and the skin is golden brown and the carrots are cooked through. As this is happening, baste the turkey and carrots every 10 or so minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and let this rest for around 10 minutes before carving.

Ellie suggests that the roast garlic can be used for make aioli. You can also use the left over garlic by adding it to some simmered cream, chicken and pasta for a quick dinner.

Stumble It!

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When Things Aren’t What They Seem

Posted in Cook, tagged , , on November 24, 2009| 36 Comments »

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a wrong first impression?

Well, when I met my husband there was no instant attraction, no sparks. Even worse – just really a total lack of interest (at least on my part). I thought he was nice but just not my type. If you told me that we would end up married I would have laughed and said “NEVER”. So how did this total apathy to him lead to us walking down the aisle? Crazy world isn’t it?

To be perfectly upfront, our love story has some uh… questionable beginnings. I was working at a large bank in their treasury department selling foreign exchange and derivatives and he was working for a large corporate and part of his job involved dealing with us.

Yes… I married my client.

We had been talking over the phone for a few weeks and then decided to finally meet up for dinner. First impression, I thought he has pretty nerdy. He was constantly talking about foreign exchange and trying to get me to exchange ideas on my views on the market. Not the type of conversation to keep me interested but I had to be polite. After all, he WAS a client.

I can confidently confirm however that he liked me. A lot. How would I know? Well, he told me so – many years later. But also at that time, actions spoke much MUCH louder than words.

Smoked Ocean Trout, Cream Cheese and Lime wrapped in Squid Ink Pasta

Thinking about it now, he was a quite clever. He knew I didn’t like him in that way so he worked on my parents instead. He asked if he could come and visit me at home and immediately won my parents over when he brought them a triple layered chocolate cake.

My Dad was over the moon to find out that he played tennis and they teed up a time to play tennis once or twice a week. I thought that he enjoyed playing tennis so early in the morning (waking up at 4:30 every morning to get to my house at 6:00) but it was only years later that I found out that he struggled to wake up so early but did it to spend time with my Dad.

My Mom was always asking why I didn’t like him when he was such a lovely young boy, of course she was asking this as she wolfed down the latest cake he brought to the house.

At work, it was no different. Everyday at 3:00 pm he would send incredibly delicious Belgian Waffles when I so badly needed a sugar fix. On Valentine’s Day I arrived at my office and there he was, with a dozen red long stemmed roses.

He was persistent and wasn’t shy to show his feelings.

I was uneasy.

I knew I didn’t like him and it was awkward because I didn’t want to upset our working relationship – which was fantastic. So I decided to be honest and admitted that I “didn’t feel the same way”. His response was something along the lines of “that’s okay – I just enjoy your company – I am not looking for anything more”.

One time he invited for dinner. I made up an excuse that I was going to see a movie with my sisters. A few days later he asked “how was the movie” – and I said “what movie?” “the one you were going to watch with your sisters” he said. “Ahh that one… yeah, well it was good!” but I am sure he knew I was lying.

Once, I had invited him to a cocktail party in some swanky hotel but at the last minute I decided I didn’t want him around so I met him at the lobby and told him that I had made a mistake and there were not enough tickets. I am sure he could see right through me but he smiled and it was not a problem. He would just see me the next day.

So we continued along the same routine for a couple of months. I am ashamed to say that I took this all for granted. He was there when I needed him but I was also willing to discard him when something “better” came up. I never took how he must have felt into account. I just thought, if he liked me so much – he would continue to hang on.

And then one day he just stopped calling.

Part 1

These canapes were inspired from Logan Campbell of Lucios Restaurant.

Recipe for Pasta

  • 150 grams flour
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons squid ink
  1. Place flour onto bench top and make a well in the center of the pasta.
  2. Place the egg yolks and squid ink into the well and incorporate slowly until the dough forms
  3. Knead the pasta for 5 minutes until smooth and rest covered for 1 hour
  4. Roll out the pasta as per directions on the pasta maker
  5. Cook the pasta for around 3 to4 minutes until al dente and immediately refresh in iced water
  6. Remove the pasta and dry on tea towels before using (see below)

Note: I used 4 egg yolks (as this is what I had left over from some macaron making) resulting in a richer pasta, feel free to substitute the recipe with 200 grams flour and 2 eggs if you don’t have the egg yolks on hand

Recipe for filling:

  • 300 grams smoked ocean trout (or salmon)
  • 250 grams cream cheese
  • 4 teaspoons lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Mix the cream cheese, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth
  2. Lay some plastic wrap/cling film on a benchtop
  3. Place a sheet of pasta over the plastic wrap and lay some cream cheese over this, leaving around 2 cm free (you will need this later when rolling)
  4. Next, layer some smoked ocean trout over the cream cheese
  5. Roll the pasta starting from the end that is covered with ocean trout and cream cheese and ending in the section where there is no cream cheese
  6. Lastly, roll the pasta in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to set.
  7. Serve with ocean trout or salmon roe.

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All They Want For Christmas Series: Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , on November 20, 2009| 40 Comments »

Stained Glass Christmas Cookies

The idea for these gorgeous Christmas cookies came one day while browsing through Martha Stewart’s website.  When I saw them, I knew I had to bump off one of my other stories to showcase these cookies.  Aren’t they adorable?  Not only that – they are absolutely delicious.  I know because I gave a little box to my sister to give my nephew to take to school.  They looked so cute with the little melted candy in the middle mimicking the “stained glass” that I thought he would love them.  In the middle of the day I received an email from her saying she gave one to Ben (my nephew) and the rest were taken by my brother in law (his father) to work! Talk about these cookies appealing to young and old alike!

Stained Glass Christmas Trees

Recipe (from Martha Stewart)

  • 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for the worksurface
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 125 grams butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 150 grams assorted hard candies, chopped
  1. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl and set aside.
  2. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and pale and then add the egg and mix until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and then slowly add the flour mixture, a little at a time.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
  3. Roll out the chilled dough to around 3 mm thick and cut out shapes using a Christmas tree shaped cookie cutter.  Transfer the cut outs to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.  Space them around 5 cm apart.
  4. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make a triangular cut out and fill with the assorted hard candies.  Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven 160 c (fan forced).  Once the dough is chilled, bake for 11 to 15 minutes until the edge are slightly brown.
  6. Let cook completely on sheets on wire racks.

Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

To package, I suggest you place the cookies in a plain white box and decorate the top of the box with another cookie.  Otherwise, use a Christmas tree shaped disposable container.

To package, use plain white boxes or Christmas shaped containers

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Learning

Posted in Learn, tagged , , , on November 18, 2009| 26 Comments »

Stuffed Chicken Leg with Brussels Sprouts and Speck

When I graduated  University, I was asked to speak before my  class about my experiences during my four or so years.  I still remember the message I wanted to convey.

I wanted them to know this:

Most of the lessons that we learned at university we would probably forget after a few years  but the lessons that gave us a sense of accomplishment we would take with us forever.

Back then, I simply meant that I would probably forget all my lessons in microeconomics and accounting but the fact that I knew I struggled through those courses and still managed to get top marks meant, at least to me, that if I put my mind to something, I would succeed.  No matter how hard it seemed at first.

Little did I realize that even today, I take what I said to heart.  Which is why I enjoy taking cooking lessons so much.  You could say, I am a serial “cooking lesson taker”.  I have to admit, I take my lessons seriously.  At the end of this month alone I would have attended a total of six different classes covering Italian cuisine, bread making, pastries, verrines, (flying to Melbourne for three days for that!) and a very private lesson with Peter Gilmore of Quay (but more on THAT another day!).

Logan Campbell's Dish Stuffed Duck with Broad Beans and Pecorino

My favourite lessons are inevitably the ones where I can learn something that I:

  1. would have never thought of trying if not for attending the class
  2. can take and vary to make it “my own”
  3. make over and over again

Logan Campbell, Head Chef at Lucio’s in Paddington is one of those teachers that embraces this philosophy.  I have attended two of his classes at CIRA and each time have added each of his creations to my armory of “impress your friends” dinner staples.  In fact, during the class I jokingly told him that I made his dishes so often that these were now known as “my signature dishes”!

Logan likes to teach dishes that you would be fearful to try yourself  but under his guidance you become confident and go home knowing you can do it yourself.

Logan Campbell's Prawn Salad with Artichokes and Parmesan

So far I’ve learned to (1) make pasta, (2) debone a spatchcock, (3) debone a duck leg and (4) peel an artichoke.  Pretty cool huh?  Well, this post was initially meant to show you how I adapted his recipes to make my own.  So Logan taught us how to debone a duck leg, and I deboned a chicken leg and varied the stuffing a little bit.  I also placed the chicken on a bed of brussel sprouts and speck. Again, another lesson I learned from Logan – how to enjoy brussel sprouts!

In the next day or two I’ll post the recipes for the chicken dish I made as well as the brussel sprout recipe (which is fantastic!) but in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few pictures from the day at CIRA and a question:

When was the last time you learned something new?

Buon Appetito!  🙂

A Day at CIRA

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All They Want For Christmas Series – Christmas Macarons

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , on November 16, 2009| 51 Comments »

solo2

Happy Holidays!

Surprise!  Happy Holidays!  Do you like it?  The macarons?  The Christmassy look?

My husband and I are terrible at doing Christmas decorations.  In our years together we put up the Christmas tree one year and the next day our dogs had decided that it would be fun to eat the Christmas balls hanging from the tree AND THEN decided that it would be even more fun to tear down the whole tree and that was the end of that!

Another time,  we decided to put up instead a little Christmas train that my Mom brought over from the Philippines.  It was adorable, and almost 25 or so years old.  It was one of those antique trains that played Jingle Bells when you turned it on, it had eight cars with different animals sitting them and they would move up and down like a carousel.  When we turned it on we gave each other a big smile.  It would really be a great Christmas!  Alas, the joy lasted all of 30 seconds because then the train stopped working and a burning smell came from the train’s interior.  We had plugged the train in a 220 volt socket when it was a 110 volt train!

solo1

These macarons decided to think outside the box! 🙂

And that was the end of our Christmas decorating story.  Since then, we’ve never decorated our home!  So this year I thought, since we aren’t going to be decorating our house – might as well decorate my blog – that way, dogs can’t chew on it and I can’t plug the blog anywhere and accidentally overload it!  When guests come over and ask where the Christmas decor is, I’ll just pull up my laptop and show them my blog!  A great way to promote my blog eh?!  🙂

The next in my Christmas Series is the Christmas Macaron.  I tried to do something different with the macarons so I used two colours and some of them I experimented and piped them into squares.  To get that two coloured effect, simply pipe using a thinner tip the outer edge and once done, pipe the inner portion using a thicker tip.  I also flavoured these macarons with a white chocolate and mint ganache.

solo3

Perfect way to serve macarons in a Christmas party...

Ingredients

  • 125 grams almond meal
  • 150 grams icing sugar (not icing mixture)
  • 100 grams caster sugar
  • 100 grams egg whites (from around 3 eggs)

Procedure

  1. In a food processor grind the almond meal and icing sugar for around 5 minutes until very finely ground.
  2. Place the egg whites in an electric mixer and whip the whites until soft peaks
  3. Add the sugar, 50 grams at a time while the egg whites are being beaten.
  4. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks.
  5. Fold the ground almond meal mixture into the egg white mixture in three additions until fully amalgamated.
  6. Pipe on to baking trays which have been lined with baking paper. Note: If you are using food colouring, add it now.
  7. Let the macarons dry for around 30 minutes until the “shells” are dry.
  8. Bake in  a pre-heated oven (150c fan forced) for 15 minutes
Final collage 1

Pipe the outer area with one colour and the inner with another

Mint Ganache

  • 110 ml cream
  • 10 grams sugar
  • 30 grams fresh mint leaves
  • 220 grams white chocolate
  1. Place the cream, sugar and mint leaves in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
  2. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, place in the refrigerator at least 4 hours to allow the flavours to infuse.
  3. Chop the white chocolate and microwave for around 45 seconds in 15 second intervals
  4. Reheat the cream and strain the cream and place in the bowl of white chocolate.
  5. Allow to cool and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Final Collage 2To package, use either white paper boxes or Christmas designed disposable containers.  A great idea for when your dogs decide to tear down your Christmas tree and you are left with Christmas ornaments?  Use them for your packaging!

end collage

Wrap with paper boxes or containers

If you like it, please stumble it! 🙂
Stumble It!

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Over The Top Award

Posted in Uncategorized on November 14, 2009| 18 Comments »

images

The Over The Top Award was given by Ellie from Almost Bourdain.  This blog is so special to me not only because this was my first award, but also because it was given by Ellie.  Ellie has been a great supporter of my blog from the time she rang my doorbell and walked into my living room and my life.  Not only does she selflessly share tips on how to be better at this funny little thing called blogging, but she has also become a very dear friend to me.  So of course I have to THANK her for the award but THANK her too for just being the wonderful person that she is.  Thank’s Ellie – thank you for teaching me to stay true to myself.

According to the rules of the award, I must provide my readers the answers to the below 35 questions in ONE WORD I also must THANK my award giver Ellie @ Almost Bourdain for this fun award AND grant 6 of my FAVORITE BLOGGERS this award. Then, give them the heads-up that they have been nominated by yours truly.

  1. Where is your cell phone? Room
  2. Your hair? Dark Brown
  3. Your mother? Funny
  4. Your father? Smart
  5. Your favorite food? Laksa
  6. Your dream last night? Fudge
  7. Your favorite drink? Water
  8. Your dream/goal? Heaven
  9. What room are you in? Study
  10. Your hobby? Cooking
  11. Your fear? Failure
  12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Paris
  13. Where were you last night? Home
  14. Something that you aren’t? Neat
  15. Muffins? No
  16. Wish list item? Lens
  17. Where did you grow up? Philippines
  18. Last thing you did? Dinner
  19. What are you wearing? Sweats
  20. Your TV? Flat
  21. Your pets? Labradors
  22. Friends? Few
  23. Your life? Complete
  24. Your mood? Sleepy
  25. Missing someone? Husband
  26. Vehicle? Accord Euro
  27. Something you’re not wearing? Jewelry
  28. Your favorite store? EssentialIngredient
  29. Your favorite color? Orange
  30. When was the last time you laughed? Dinnertime
  31. Last time you cried? Dinnertime
  32. Your best friend? Dan
  33. One place that I go to over and over? Veterinarian
  34. One person who emails me regularly? Kath
  35. Favorite place to eat? Home

Now I have to pass on this award to 6 other people.   I would have to say that I have so many favourites and luckily other people that Ellie has given this award to have also awarded some of my favourite bloggers so I would like to give this award to the following people – some I have just started following recently and some I have followed awhile… but all my favourites!

Mary Moh from Keep Learning Keep Smiling

Simone from Jungle Frog

Steph from Raspberri Cupcakes

Rylan from Art and Appetite

Julia from Melanger

Christine from Christinesrecipes.com

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All They Want For Christmas Series “Practically Perfect Chocolate Christmas Cookies”

Posted in Bake, Holiday, tagged , , , , on November 13, 2009| 34 Comments »

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Chocolate Cookies with Cranberries and Pistachios

Here’s a confession – I never go Christmas shopping.  Ever.  I do always have good intentions to buy gifts early, wrap them nicely and write a sweet card wishing everyone the best for the Holiday Season… but it never happens.  Usually, my sister will shop for family and friends.  She is ultra organized, actually shops throughout the year places the gifts in a large box  so that come December everyone has a very nice gift from her… and usually from me too as I always ask her to “add my name” to the card she writes… Sometimes, if it’s someone she doesn’t know, at the last minute I’ve been known to panic shop, tell people “close your eyes and put your hands out” and then place an unwrapped gift in their hands.  It’s a bad habit which I intend to break this year.

So, to kick off the Christmas season, I’ve decided to introduce a series called “All They Want For Christmas!”.  The intention is to come up with food ideas for Christmas gifts that I think friends and family would want.

The first recipe in the series I call the Practically Perfect Chocolate Christmas Cookie – it’s a chocolate cookie made with dark lindt chocolate, studded with fruit and nut, in this case, cranberries and pistachios – the two of which I associate with the holiday season.  These cookies are crisp on the outside but maintain that fudge like centre – just the way a perfect cookie should be!

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Recipe (makes 15 pieces)

  • 125 grams lindt chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped
  • 75 grams flour
  • 30 grams dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 50 grams butter
  • 120 grams brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 40 grams unsalted pistachios
  • 40 grams dried cranberries
  1. Melt the chocolate by placing it in a microwave safe bowl and heating the chocolate for around 45 seconds at 15 second intervals.  Allow to cool slightly.
  2. In the meantime, cream the sugar and the butter until pale and then add the egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the batter, a third at a time.
  5. Next, add the melted chocolate and mix well.
  6. Fold in the cranberries and pistachios and place in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 160c (fan forced) and bake the cookies in batches for around 15 minutes.  Half way through the baking process, remove the cookies from the oven and press them to flatten slightly with a spatula and then return them to the oven.
  8. Allow to cool.

Note: The cookies will last for 3 days in an airtight container.

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Package in a paper box or glass jar with a festive ribbon

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Which Came First? The Chicken or the Egg? Momofuku Book Review

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , , on November 11, 2009| 31 Comments »

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Adapted from David Chang's Chicken and Egg Recipe

I had never heard of David Chang or Momofuku until two weeks ago. While browsing the New York Times I came across an article on him. I was intrigued. Ferran Adria thought he was magical. A chef of prodigious talent. Anthony Bourdain thought he was scary, smart, funny, and ambitious and the guy that all chefs had to measure themselves against these days and even Martha Stewart was a fan!

I had a sneaky suspicion that I would not be able to cook much out of his new cookbook – I had read a review that some recipes required “meat glue” – uhmm what?! But, I had to get the cookbook anyway.

I’m so glad I did.

The first recipe I laid my eyes on was his Chicken and Egg Recipe (Click here to see the original dish and recipe in all it’s beauty!). There was just something so comforting about a bowl of steaming rice topped with a slow poached egg and beautifully crisped confit of chicken. Let me warm you straight up – this is not a quick and easy meal to prepare. I am pretty sure you can get a dish that looks very similar by pan frying some chicken thighs and poaching an egg but it’s not going to taste anywhere are fantastic. This dish is truly truly inspired. If you have a few hours on a Sunday and was thinking of making a roast – try this instead. The process is not hard, just a bit time consuming – but worth it. Take my word for it. If you don’t trust me, take my husband’s word for it – he said “all chicken should be cooked this way”.

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Chicken and Egg

Recipe

Note: David Chang’s recipe calls for the chicken to be cold smoked. I didn’t have the cold smoker but his recipe does provide an alternative which is what I did with great results.

Serves 4

  • 8 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 boneless chicken legs (I used 8 chicken thighs)
  • 2 strips smoky bacon (this is the alternative for those who don’t have a cold smoker – that’s me!)
  • 5 cups rendered pork or duck fat or grapeseed oil (I used grapeseed oil)
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 4 cups cooked short-grain rice
  • 4 slow poached eggs (recipe follows)
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions (I used chives, I know – not the same but I didn’t have any on hand)
  1. Combine the water, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup salt in a large container with a lid and stir to dissolve. Add the chicken, cover or seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, no more than 6.
  2. Remove the chicken from the brine and discard the brine. Heat the oven to 82c and pack the chicken snugly into a pot or other oven safe vessel – the less extra space there is , the less fat is required to submerge the chicken. Tuck the smoked bacon in the dish as well. Heat the fat/oil and pour it over the chicken. Put the chicken in the oven and cook for 50 minutes (hey it’s me here – I actually cooked it for 3 hours as after 50 minutes it didn’t look all that cooked to me). Remove from the pot oven and cool to room temperature.
  3. If not using immediately, put the chicken in the refrigerator to thoroughly chill it in the fat. The chicken can be prepared through this step a week or more in advance.
  4. When you’re ready to serve the dish, heat the chicken confit in the pot in a low oven (around 80c) or on the stove top just until the fat liquefies.
  5. Remove the bones and fry the chicken (skin side only) over medium high heat until crisp.
  6. Portion the rice in four bowls and use the back of the spoon to create a shallow space in the middle and slide the slow poached egg into it. Divide the cucumber pickles among the bowl (recipe follows but I didn’t bother with this), nestling them together in a little mound. Add the chicken around the bowl and sprinkle with the scallions (or in my case, chives) and serve.
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Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

Cucumber Pickle Recipe

Slice the cucumbers into coins a little less than 1/2 inch think. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and allow it to sit until ready to use.

Slow Poached Egg Recipe

  1. Fill the biggest pot you can find with water (this is important because a pot of hot water is hotter at the bottom and coolest on the surface. Using a big pot ensures that the greatest volume of water at the right temperature) and put it on the stove at the lowest possible heat.
  2. Use something to keep the eggs from sitting on the bottom (I used a steam rack).
  3. Using an instead read thermometer to monitor the temperature of the water, heat the water until it reaches 60c to 62c. Let the eggs bathe for 40 to 45 minutes. Make sure that the temperature stays that that constant temperature – if it is too hot add some ice. If not enough heat, crank up the heat a little bit.
  4. You can use the eggs immediately or store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If you refrigerate the eggs, warm them under piping hot water for 1 minute before using.
  5. To serve the eggs, crack them one at a time into a small saucer. The thin white layer will not and should not be firm or solid; tip the dish to pour off a discard the loosest part of the white, then slide the egg onto the dish it’s destined for.

Delicious Life Blog painstakingly went through the internet to find recipes from the Ad Hoc cookbook (another keeper!). I thought it was such a great idea, I’m doing the same for Momofuku.

Fried Chicken with Octo Vin – From the Time Out New York Website

Pork Belly and Steamed Buns – From Time Out New York Website

Perfectly Prickly Cabbage Kimchi – From MSNBC

Marinated Hanger Steak Ssam – From Wall Street Journal

Ginger Scallion Noodles with Ginger Scallion Sauce – From Amazon.com (you can also order the book there!)

Other Recipes by David Chang

Chawan Mushi from Foos & Wine

Clay Pot Miso Chicken – from Gourmet

Stumble It!

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