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What Happened in Paris…

April 9, 2012 by trissalicious

Paris Jardin des Tuileries

Paris Jardin des Tuileries

It could have been the overcast sky that greeted me. Or, maybe the fact that after more than 24 hours on a plane with three different stopovers, I was told that the airline had lost my luggage… or having to spend my first two days on my own… Something, in Paris, was off.

I had my first meal at Aux Lyonnais which has become somewhat of a tradition to begin any trip to Paris at this Alain Docasse run Bistro. The lady who had been greeting me for the last four years, I found out, had left and new staff had taken over the floor. While the new waitstaff were knowledgeable and efficient, there was no “Hello! How are you? So good to see you back” to greet me. To start I had an egg cocotte with black truffles and morrels and for main I had the pollack (which I was told was only in season every April) a la meuniere. Again, while the food was cooked well, I left the restaurant thinking that I might have to change traditions next year.

Aux Lyonnais

Aux Lyonnais

Day two was dinner at Le Chateaubriand which has been named the 9th best restaurant in the world. Two years earlier we had eaten in this restaurant and was blown away with the food (and, okay, maybe the chefs and waiters too), so I was excited to come back. I guess I was expecting too much but the food didn’t seem as inventive or exciting as before (okay, the waiters and chefs were still as good looking).

Chateaubriand Paris

Chateaubriand Paris

Things weren’t looking too good.

And then my husband came and things started to pick up.

“I’m bored.” I told him. “Paris doesn’t seem the same to me.” So that night we went to Hotel Costes, a boutique hotel located on the First Arrondisement. By day you can sit by the open courtyard and people watch. At night the whole place transforms into a trendy restaurant/bar. This is where we met Ali – mixologist extraordinaire. I explained to him that I didn’t normally drink but my fate that night was in his hands. To please make me a cocktail that was fruity but where I couldn’t taste the alcohol.

“Leave it to me, I am an expert” Ali said.

Two drinks later, my head was spinning and anything anyone said seemed very funny to me. My husband was holding me back from ordering a third drink. “I think that’s enough. Let’s close the tab.” he said. “Wait a minute! I said to Ali, “I need to know the name of this so I can make sure to order it next time.”

“It has no name, this one I just invented.” said Ali.

“We can’t not have a name for this drink!” I replied.

“Okay, let’s name it after you, Teresa” Ali said.

“Okay, tomorrow, you and me, we’ll have a showdown!” I shouted back at Ali, giggling uncontrollably.

“Yes, of course!” He smiled.

You have to realize, I never drink. Ever. So as embarrassing as it sounds, I got wasted after two drinks.  A few hours later things got messy, my head pounding, I was crying and cursing Ali like there was no tomorrow.

The day after was no different. Every time I stood up I felt like my world would turn upside down. When my husband joked about the proposed showdown with Ali I gave him dagger looks. The thought of going back to Hotel Costes made me woozy.

Hotel Costes, Paris

Hotel Costes, Paris

Easter Sunday was different. I could finally laugh about the “Ali” incident! The sun was shining and after a whole day wasted, I was hoping for a little back of the Paris that I loved. So of course I headed to the 7th Arrondisement which is my favourite. The markets were opened and we were welcomed by a Frenchman playing music on an old punch tape winding music box!

One thing I’ve found, is that my tried and tested bistro in Paris is still 100% reliable. Lunch at Cafe Constant was just as I remembered it. Homey, well executed and affordable cooking.

Sea Bass with Sweet Potato Mash

Sea Bass with Sweet Potato Mash

Roasted Langoustines Cafe Constant, Paris

Roasted Langoustines Cafe Constant, Paris

Then to top it all of, was the most delicious apple tart. Layers of caramelized apples over the flakiest puff pastry, served with a side of vanilla ice cream. It’s times like these that you realize, you don’t need to be in the fanciest, trendiest or most expensive restaurant, you could be in a cramped corner of a Paris cafe enjoying a simple meal, or even laying flat on the bathroom floor cursing the bartender that gave you one cocktail too many, it’s who you’re with that makes the story worthwhile telling.

I was with my husband and I finally had my Paris back.

Apple Tart at Cafe Constant, Paris

Apple Tart at Cafe Constant, Paris

Cafe Constant Apple Tart

The day after my planned “showdown” with Ali, I went back to Hotel Costes to try and get the recipe for the cocktail he had invented for me. Unfortunately, Ali was not around that night… and the waitress told me that he would not be around the night after as well, which meant that I wouldn’t get the chance to ask him for the recipe before I left. So instead, let me share with you Christian Constant’s simple Apple Tart recipe… however, if you do find yourself on Rue St Honore one day, make sure to pass by the Bar at Hotel Costes and ask for Ali. Tell him you want to order the “Teresa”.

  • 7 “pink” golden apples
  • 45 grams butter
  • 1 roll best quality puff pastry (i.e. I would use Careme brand)
  • 35 grams caster sugar
  1. Pre heat the oven to 180c. Roll out the puff pastry and place it in a round or oblong tart. Using a fork, prink the bottom and sides of the pastry to prevent it from puffing up during cooking. Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, peel the apples, cut in half, remove the cores and sees and slice very thinly.
  3. Arrange the apple slices on the pre-cooked pastry shell, overlapping and fanning them out evenly. Sprinkle with half of the sugar and add a knob of butter.
  4. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Midway through the cooking time, sprinkle with the remaining sugar, and turn the tart from time to time so that it browns evenly. Cool before serving.

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Facing Fear (Milk Bar Pistachio Cake)

March 21, 2012 by trissalicious

Pash rides the ferry

Pash rides the ferry

Momofuku Milk Bar Pistachio Cake

Fear is not in the vocabulary of my seven month old puppy, Pash.  That is, until last weekend when, for the first time, we took her on a ferry ride.  As we queued to ride the ferry, you could see the anxiety in her eyes and hesitation in her steps.  “Come on Pash, let’s go!” I told her impatiently – there were a number of people behind us but she refused to move.  Trembling with her tail between her legs she finally inched forward behind my older, more confident dog, Baci.

I could relate.  There aren’t many things that faze me in the kitchen.   While I can appreciate simple home cooked meals, I like the challenge of making more complicated dishes.  The more steps and techniques, the more interesting for me.  It keeps me occupied.

The exception to this would be anything from Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Cookbook,  especially her layered cakes which feature enough recipes within recipes to strike fear in your heart.  Every time I had a look at the cookbook I promised myself that I would try any one of the layered cakes but the minute I started reading a recipe, the heart would start racing and I’d break out in a cold sweat.

But hey, if Pash could get on that ferry – maybe I could attempt to make one of her cakes?

Pistachio Cake, Lemon Curd, Milk Crumbs

Pistachio Cake, Lemon Curd, Milk Crumbs

So here’s my attempt at facing my fear of layered cakes….  A total of four recipes – pistachio cake, lemon curb, milk crumbs and pistachio frosting is definitely not for the faint hearted.

In the end I had to make my own pistachio paste and half way through my durable thermomix refused to grind any further and there was a horrifying error message.   I had to give it a rest for the night.  I started early the next morning and several times during the day I asked myself whether I had taken on more than I could chew.  More than 12 hours later, my kitchen looked like a war zone and I was exhausted.

But let me tell you, that cake… was worth it!

Pistachio Cake, Lemon Curd, Milk Crumbs

Pistachio Cake, Lemon Curd, Milk Crumbs

Momofuku Milk Bar Pistachio Layer Cake

Makes 1 (6-inch) Layer Cake, 5 to 6 inches tall; Serves 6 to 8

  • 1 Recipe Pistachio Cake
  • 65 grams Pistachio Oil
  • 1 Recipe Lemon Curd
  • 1/2 Recipe Milk Crumb
  • 1 Recipe Pistachio Frosting

You will also need 1 (6 inch) cake ring and 2 strips acetate, each 3 inches wide and 20 inches long.
Note: Grapeseed oil can be substituted for the pistachio oil, but part of the toasted pistachio depth of flavour will be lost.

  1. Put a piece of parchment on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 circles from the cake, these are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scrap” will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
  2. For the first layer, clean the cake ring and place it in the center of the sheet pan lined with clean parchment. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Put the cake scraps inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer. Dunk a pastry brush in the pistachio oil and give the layer of cake a good healthy bath of half of the oil. Use the back of the spoon to spread half of the lemon curd in an even layer over the cake. Sprinkle one-third of the milk crumbs evenly over the lemon curd. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place. Use the back of a spoon to spread one third of the pistachio frosting as evenly as possible.
  3. For layer two, with your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall – high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Set a cake round on top of the frosting, and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top).
  4. For layer three, nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or you can opt for a perfectly flat top. Garnish the frosting with the remaining milk crumbs.
  5. Transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to set the cake and filling. The cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
  6. At least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate, and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (wrapped well in plastic, the cake cake be refrigerated for up to 5 days). Slice the cake and serve.
Pash takes a ferry ride

Pash takes a ferry ride

Pistachio Cake

Makes 1 quarter sheet pan cake

  • 190 grams pistachio paste
  • 75 grams glucose
  • 6 egg whites
  • 280 grams confectioners’/icing sugar
  • 110 grams almond meal/flour
  • 75 grams pistachio oil (can use grapeseed as a substitute)
  • 55 grams heavy cream
  • 160 grams flour
  • 6 grams baking powder
  • 6 grams kosher salkt
  1. Heat the oven to 175 c. Combine the pistachio paste and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium low for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture turns into a sticky green paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
  2. On low speed, add the egg whites one at a time, being careful not to add the next egg white until the previous one is completely incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after every 2 to 3 egg whites.
  3. Add the icing/confectioners’ sugar and almond meal and, on low speed, paddle them in for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stream in the pistachio oil and heavy cream and paddle on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and paddle on low for 2 to 3 minutes, until the batter is super smooth.
  5. Spray a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. Using a spatula, spread the cake batter in an even layer in the pan. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. At 20 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger; the cake should bounce back and it should be slightly golden brown on the sides and pulling away from the sides of the pan ever so slightly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 1 to 2 minutes if it doesn’t pass these tests.
  6. Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack or in a pinch, in the fridge or freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days.

Lemon Curd

  • 3 lemons
  • 100 grams sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 gelatin sheet
  • 115 grams butter, very cold
  • 2 grams salt
  1. Zest the lemons. Put the sugar, lemon zest and 80 grams of lemon juice in a blender and blend until the sugar granules have dissolved. Add the eggs and blend on low until you have a bright yellow mixture. Transfer the contents to a medium pot or sauce pan. Clean the blender canister.
  2. Bloom the gelatin by placing this sheet in a bowl with cold water for a few minutes to soften.
  3. Heat the lemon mixture over low heat, whisking regularly. As it heats up, it will begin to thicken; keep a close eye on it. Once it boils, remove it from the stove and transfer it to the blender. Add the bloomed gelatin, butter, and salt and blend until the mixture is thick, shiny and super smooth.
  4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a heat proof container and put in the fridge until the lemon curd has cooled completely, at least 30 minutes. This can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Pistachio Frosting

  • 115 grams butter, at room temperature
  • 40 grams icing/confectioners’ sugar
  • 230 grams pistachio paste
  • 2 grams kosher salt
  1. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow.
  2. Add the pistachio paste and salt and mix on low speed for half a minute, then kick up the speed to medium high for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Use the frosting immediately, or store it in an airtight container for up to one week.

Milk Crumbs
Recipe can be found here.

Posted in Bake | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments »

Salted Caramels & A Feature in Yummy Magazine

March 11, 2012 by trissalicious

Salted Caramels

Salted Caramels

I admit that I have an unhealthy obsession with cookbooks and food magazines.  One of my favourite magazines is one published in the Philippines called Yummy.  I’ve been a long time reader and used to always ask my Mom to buy them and bring me copies when she would visit.  I was thrilled when last year I found out they were also on Zinio which meant I could read them as soon as they were published online.

Imagine my excitement when Liz, one of their assistant editors, asked if I would be interested to be featured as a guest chef – uhm… hello?!?  Of course I would be honoured!

So here it is – MY very own feature on Yummy Magazine.   If you are lucky, you may still be able to buy the March 2012 issue where this is published, but better be quick because the Blog Monster seems to be hunting down every copy she can get her hands on!  (It’s nice to have a Mom who is so proud of you isn’t it?)

Trissalicious on Yummy Magazine
Yummy Magazine Page 2
So here’s a sweet way to begin the week – below is a recipe for Rockpool’s Salted Caramels.  The restaurant is famous for them and the recipe is taken from Neil Perry’s latest Cookbook, Rockpool Bar & Grill and is from pastry chef Catherine Adams.  Make sure to use a digital thermometer when making these sweets, the recipe is not hard to make at all, but it’s important to be exact with the temperatures, otherwise, you could end up with caramels that don’t set, or those that are too hard.

Have a great week ahead!

Rockpool’s Salted Caramels

  • 500 grams caster sugar
  • 250 grams liquid glucose
  • 435 grams pouring cream (35% fat)
  • 125 grams butter (I used Lurpak), cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes, such as Murray River Pink sea salt
  1. Grease a 22cm square cake tin with cooking spray and line with aluminium foil. Spray again.
  2. In a large pot, combine the sugar, glucose and cream. Stir gently and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook gently until the mixture reaches a temperature of 113c. (It took me approximately 15 minutes to reach that heat).
  3. Using a whisk, add the butter and continue to mix until the butter has dissolved into the mixture. From here on, do not stir. Let the temperature reach 119c and remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in the vanilla paste. Pour the mixture on to the greased pan. Quickly scatter the sea salt on top of the caramel.
  4. Allow the caramel to rest and cool. This should take around 2 to 3 hours.
  5. Once the caramel has cooled, remove it from the tin, remove the foil and cut into 1.5 cm strips. Then cut each strip into 2 cm pieces. Wrap in cellophane (or baking paper) and store in an air tight container in a cool dry place for up to 5 days.
Salted Caramels

Salted Caramels

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Porteño’s Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Lentils

March 4, 2012 by trissalicious

Crisp Brussel Sprouts with Lentils

Crisp Brussel Sprouts with Lentils

This evening for dinner we had lamb and brussel sprouts. My nephew, who is eight, did nothing to hide his dislike for the vegetable. His parents asked him to keep an open mind and despite his protests, insisted that he at the very least, have a little taste before saying he didn’t like brussel sprouts. So he found a little leaf and took a bite and declared that he didn’t like it.

“That little piece you ate was a mint leaf.” She said, and urged him to try again. So he found some of the little cabbage and maintained that he STILL didn’t like them.

Even if I had prepared the brussel sprouts, I have to admit I couldn’t blame him. I remember as an eight year old, I had my own biases against certain vegetables. I despised eggplants and okra. I thought that they were specially created as punishment for naughty kids. I still remember my parents saying I couldn’t leave the table until all the vegetables on my plate were finished. They said to think of all the “starving children”. In my naiveté, I thought, “Well, if there are so many starving children, take the vegetables on my plate and feed it to them!”.

I know there are many who have an aversion to brussel sprouts. But this dish from Porteno Restaurant is delicious. Deep fried brussel sprouts served with lentils and sprigs of mint and dressed with a sticky vincotto dressing – it’s enough to convert anybody (that is, of course, except my nephew).

Porteno’s Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Lentils

serves 10

  • 150 grams small green lentils
  • vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 2 kilos brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 1 1/2 cups mint, loosely packed, chopped
  • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 50 ml fig vincotto
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon (or Hot) mustard
  • salt
  1. Place the lentils in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until just tender, around 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. Deep fry the brussel sprouts, around 4 to 5 minutes until the edges crisp and turn golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Season with some salt.
  3. Mix the olive oil, fig vincotto, mustard and a little more salt to taste.
  4. To serve, place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl, add the lentils, toss with the chopped mint and dressing.

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Momofuku Crispy Pork Buns

February 19, 2012 by trissalicious

Momofuku Crispy Pork Buns

Momofuku Crispy Pork Buns

Picasso once said:

“I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages from my diary…”

Now, replace paint with “cook” in the first sentence and replace paintings with “dishes” in the second and you’ll understand why.   My blog is pretty much a chronicle of my life.  Many posts are prompted by an event, memory or story that’s happened to me.  To many people, reading these stories would be similar to what I heard a little boy saying over and over again at the Picasso exhibit I went to today…. “boring, boring, boring…”, but to me, these are the moments worth savouring.

Take, for example, these Momofuku style pork buns.  When I think Momofuku Pork Buns, I remember my last trip to New York where my husband and I had a Momofuku Day and hit all four of his restaurants in one day.  I remember the time I took my Mom to the new Momofuku Seibo in Sydney and the expression on her face when they brought over the slow-cooked pork shoulder for “dessert” (priceless comes to mind!).  Then there was New Year’s dinner with my husband, where, the Seibo chefs, when they found out that I did not drink, decided to create a “juice menu” for me (why didn’t anyone else think of that before? From now on juice menus should be mandatory at all restaurants!).

In this version, I thought I’d try something a little bit different and deep fry the pork belly upon the counsel of a few foodie friends.  The pork belly is prepared Filipino Style.  First, simmered with salt, bay leaves, garlic and onion, then deep fried over a low heat.  Right before serving, the pork belly is fried again at a higher heat – there is something truly magical when you’re left with the most tender pork belly and super crispy skin.

So anyway, here it is – Momofuku Pork Buns with twice fried crispy pork belly.  Seriously good stuff.

Momofuku Crispy Pork Buns

Momofuku Crispy Pork Buns

Momofuku Crispy Pork Buns

From David Chang
Steamed Buns

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups water at room temperature
  • 4 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon rounded baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening at room temperature plus more for shaping the buns as needed
  1. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with the dough hook. Mix at the lowest possible speed for 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into a neat, not too tacky ball on the hook. When it does, lightly oil a medium mixing bowl and put the dough in it. Cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel. Place in a warmish place. Allow the dough to rise until it doubles in bulk, around 1 hour, 15 minutes.
  2. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough in half, then divide the half into 5 equal pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 equal pieces, making 5o pieces total. They should weigh about 25 grams each (or the size of a ping pong ball). Roll each piece into a ball. Cover the dough balls with a draping of plastic wrap and allow them to rest and rise for 30 minutes.
  3. Cut our fifty 8 cm squares of parchment paper. Coat a chopstick with the fat you are working with.
  4. Flatten out one ball with the palm of your hand, then using a rolling pin to roll it out into a 8 cm long oval. Lay the greased chopstick across the middle of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form the bun shape. Withdraw the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and put the bun on a square of parchment paper. Stick it back under the plastic wrap (or dry kitchen towel) and form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30 to 45 minutes; they will rise a little.
  5. Set up a steamer on the stove. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper. You can use the buns immediately (reheat them in the steamer for a minute or so if necessary) or allow to cool completely, then seal in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a few months. Reheat the frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 3 minutes, until puffy, soft and warmed all the way through.

Crispy Pork Belly

  • 1 kilo pork belly
  • 50 grams salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 onion, peeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  1. Place the pork belly, salt, garlic and onion in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours until the pork is tender. Remove from the pot and allow the pork to cool. Once cool, place the pork on a plate and keep uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
  2. Heat a deep fat fryer to the lowest setting (mine was 150c) and fry the pork for 20 minutes. Remove, cool and again place in the refrigerator, at least 3 hours.
  3. For the final cooking, heat the deep fat fryer to it’s highest setting (mine was 190 c), fry the pork again for 10 minutes until the skin crisps up. Remove, drain and slice for the pork buns.

For the pickled cucumbers
slice 2 cucumbers thinly, add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
To Assemble

  • 1 steamed bun
  • 2 slices of the crispy pork belly
  • hoisin sauce
  • pickled cucumbers
  • spring onions, thinly sliced
  • sriracha sauce for serving
  1. Open the bun and spread some hoisin sauce. Add the cucumbers, then layer with the crispy pork belly, and finally top with the spring onions.
  2. Serve with sriracha sauce on the side.

Posted in Cook, Eat | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments »

Seafood “Risotto” Surprise!

February 7, 2012 by trissalicious

Seafood "Risotto" - without rice!

Seafood "Risotto" - without rice!

The truth is, haven’t we all done something crazy just for a good meal?

Sometimes, I have these ideas about food go beyond that, so much so that they are admittedly pushing the verge of deranged and demented.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing about soil.

I seriously need to get four potatoes and two kilos of soil… and some hessian sacks… All because I’ve been dreaming about making Ben Shewry’s Potato Dish which is cooked for 8 hours in a Maori hangi.  To prevent receiving that “Are you out of your mind?!”  look from my husband, I’ve been debating how to get his buy in.

Should I go with the “bad news/good news”  tactic.  “I need to buy two kilos of soil to cook four potatoes…. but not to worry, I don’t need a hangi like the original recipe… I can just cook it in our oven.”

Or maybe the multipurpose excuse.  “If we get the two kilos of soil, then once I’m done using it for the cooking, we can use it to bury the holes the dogs have dug in the garden!”

Once in a while, I get away with the “Just trust me…. it’ll be worth it.” argument.

Take this weekend for instance.  I had been wanting to make Marque Restaurants’s Risotto of Local Calamari, Prawns & Broth for quite some time but was too lazy to drive.  When I tried to get my husband to take me,  he questioned why we had travel to another suburb when I could have as easily picked up the seafood at the local fish monger.

“Not the same!” I told him.  The quality and variety of seafood was incomparable.  “Seafood is seafood.” he said.

“Trust me. ” I told him.

The result of that unwavering trust is this Seafood Risotto which has been adapted from one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney, Marque.  The recipe is a truly a wonderful surprise.  You think you are having a bowl of creamy rice but it is finely cut squid and a creamy cauliflower puree that gives the dish that risotto like texture.  We had recently gone there for dinner and I was sad to find out that the dish wasn’t offered on the menu anymore.  Which of course, led to the weekend quest to find the best possible seafood in Sydney and come up with my own version.

And so what to do about the two kilos of soil for the potatoes?

I guess the other option is to just write about it in this blog and let him find out the same time as everybody else.

Seafood "Risotto" with scampi, pippies and squid (but no rice!)

Seafood "Risotto" with scampi, pippies and squid (but no rice!)

 

Seafood “Risotto”

Serves 4
This recipe was adapted from Marque Restaurant
For the “Risotto”

  • 400 grams squid, cleaned and skinned
  • 4 scampi plus 4 large prawns (or 8 large prawns), peeled, deveined and head and shells reserved
  • handful of pippies
  • 1/4 cauliflower
  • 270 ml milk
  • 1 medium leek, diced
  • 100 grams butter
  • Prawn Broth (recipe follows)
  • Basil leaves
  1. Place the squid in the freezer for an hour to make it easier to cut. When ready, finely dice the body until they are almost the size of grains of rice. Reserve the tentacles for plating. Set the diced squid aside until ready to use.
  2. Break the cauliflower up into florets, place in a sauce pan with the milk and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Allow the cauliflower to simmer until soft, around 40 minutes, making sure that the milk does not spill over.
  4. Strain half the milk from the cauliflower and using a hand blender, puree the cauliflower until smooth. You may need to add some of the reserved milk to make the puree smoother.
  5. Heat half the butter in a large pan. Add the prawns/scampi and cook until golden, remove and keep in a warm place. Add the squid tentacles and pippies cook until the shells open and the squid is cooked through. Again, keep in a warm place until ready to serve.
  6. Add the remaining butter and the leeks and saute until soft, around 5 minutes over a low/medium heat.
  7. Add the cut up squid and around 6 to 8 heaping tablespoons of the cauliflower puree. The idea is to achieve that creamy look of a risotto.
  8. To plate, put the squid risotto on a plate, top with the seafood, basil leaves and some of the prawn broth.

For the prawn broth

  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • reserved head and shells of the scampi/prawns
  1. Saute the carrot, onion and garlic around 5 minutes. Add the reserved heads and shells and saute another three minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush the head and shells to extract as much flavour as possible.
  2. Add the chicken stock and allow to simmer around 30 minutes. Strain and the stock and place back in a sauce pan and allow to reduce until half the quantity is left (you will only need about 2 to 3 tablespoons each serve).
  3. Before serving, froth the prawn broth with a hand blender.

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Seafood Kare Kare (Philippine Seafood, Peanut and Coconut Stew Inspired by Bale Dutung)

January 29, 2012 by trissalicious

Seafood Kare Kare

Seafood Kare Kare

It’s embarrassing how, being a founding member of Kulinarya Cooking Club, I’ve neglected our monthly challenges. The one thing about taking an extended leave from blogging is losing the discipline to do every other thing that comes with blogging. Testing recipes, trying to make a dish you KNOW that tastes delicious, actually LOOK delicious, taking pictures, and then there’s the writing! It can be very intimidating.

Let me tell you what else seemed very intimidating. Making kare kare. This is a traditional Filipino dish made with a peanut gravy, thickened with rice. It is usually made with oxtail, tripe, and vegetables. To me, this dish was the ultimate in cold weather comfort food. When we moved to Australia I thought the recipe for this dish was to open a pack of Mamasita Kare Kare Mix. This dish was my achilles heel. Surely, there was no way I could make this from scratch.  Was there?

Which brings me back to Kulinarya Cooking Club. The goal of KCC was not only to promote Filipino food, but also challenge ourselves to learn new dishes with the support of our group. This month’s challenge was to make a Filipino dish but put with a healthy twist.

This month I decided to make kare kare from scratch. From the number of Filipino cookbooks I had, I noticed the common theme was the use of rice and peanuts to flavour the stew. As mentioned earlier, this dish is commonly made with oxtail, so my healthy twist was to use seafood instead. Oxtail, when simmered for a number of hours, provides the richness to the stew, something not available when using seafood, so instead, I’ve added some coconut milk for that added richness.

This dish was inspired by a meal I had during my last trip to the Philippines. We ate in a home called Bale Dutung, owned by Claude Tayag and his wife Mary Anne.  I also later found out that Anthony Bourdain had eaten at Claude’s place when he did a feature on Filipino food.  We had ten (at least that’s when I gave up from delicious food overload!) dishes that day and this was one of my favourites.  Claude had let it slip during out conversation that the kare kare was made with coconut milk and it does add that extra lucious dimension to the dish.

Ice Cream Cart from Bale Dutung

Ice Cream Cart from Bale Dutung

So here is my (late) contribution to Kulinarya Cooking Club.  Seafood Kare Kare, served with a steamed bowl of rice and bagoong (fermented shrimp paste).  I realized that it wasn’t that difficult to make kare kare from scratch, and, I was really really pleased with how well it came out.  Plus, it definitely taste mush better than any Mamasita mix.

After I proudly told my sister I had made the kare kare without a mix, she asked me whether I had also made the bagoong from scratch.

Ha!… Let’s start with baby steps…

Kare Kare from Bale Dutung

Kare Kare from Bale Dutung

Seafood Kare Kare (Philippine Seafood, Peanut and Coconut Stew)

serves 8

  • 100 grams uncooked rice
  • 200 grams raw peanuts
  • 6 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons annatto seeds
  • 4 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)
  • 500 ml good quality coconut milk
  • 2 onions
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 bunch snake beans
  • 8 pieces lebanese eggplants
  • 2 bunches bok choy
  • 1 kilo prawns
  • 500 grams squid, cleaned
  • 1 kilo large mussels
  • salt and fish sauce to taste
  1. Make the stock, peel the prawns (reserve a few whole ones for presentation) and place the heads in a pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and place in another container. Set aside.
  2. While the stock is simmering, place the rice in a pan and heat until the grains turn a golden brown, around 10 minutes. Place the rice in a spice grinder and grind until fine. Set aside.
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 160c and place the peanuts in the oven and roast until golden, around 30 minutes. Place the peanuts in a food processor and process until it comes together in a paste. Set aside.
  4. Heat the oil in a small pot and add the annatto seeds. After around 2 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the seeds to steep in the oil for around 10 minutes.
  5. Strain the seeds and heat 4 tablespoons of the oil again in the pot used to make the stock. Add the chopped onions and the garlic. Season with salt and saute until the onions are soft and translucent, around 5 to 7 minutes.
  6. Add the ground peanuts and ground rice. Cook for around 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Add the prawn stock, a little at a time. If the sauce is too thick, thin out with some water. Taste and adjust the seasoning with some fish sauce and the peanut butter if necessary.
  8. Place the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Remove from blender and place back into the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning again if necessary.
  9. At this point, add the coconut milk, depending on how thick you want the stew to be.
  10. To make the vegetables, Heat the remaining oil and fry off the eggplants until nicely browned. For the rest of the vegetables, you can either place the vegetables in another pot of boiling water and serve on the side of the stew, alternatively, you can add the vegetables to the peanut stew.
  11. For the seafood, lightly score the squid and pan fry. Boil the mussels until they just open. Add the prawns, squid and mussels right before serving.
  12. Serve with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste), calamansi and steaming rice.
Seafood Kare Kare

Seafood Kare Kare

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Whatever happened to Trissalicious?

January 22, 2012 by trissalicious

Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Prawns, Pinenuts and Raisins

Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Prawns, Pinenuts and Raisins

Where do I even begin?  We last left of when Bizou died. I never told what exactly happened.  I guess five months ago it was difficult for me to put in in writing.  Even today, I get teary just thinking about it, but hopefully this will explain my absence for so long.

The morning that Bizou died, my friend Calley and I were meant to have a Doggie Donation Day for Monika’s Doggie Rescue.  We were going to have a stand infront of the supermarket to collect old dog toys, beds and other accessories for the event.  We had spent the whole night putting up posters for the event and when I got home, I decided that I was going to make sunflower cupcakes for a gold coin donation.  That morning, as we set up our stand, I had only brought half the cupcakes so I told my husband that we had to go back home to get the rest.  He said that I should just stay and finish setting up while he went back home to pick up the rest.

That’s when it all happened.  As he carried the cupcakes to the car, she slipped out of the gate and was hit by a car.  The rest, you already know.

Not meaning to sound too dramatic, but I truly felt that life was so cruel.  It was ironic that  Calley and I had gone out of our way to do something to help rescue dogs and in the process had lost my own.  When you have something special taken away from you so soon, you want to find ways to explain why it happened.

I blamed it on the cupcakes. If I hadn’t baked them, they my husband wouldn’t have needed to go home and get them and Bizou would have not ran out of the gate.  I couldn’t step into the kitchen without being reminded of Bizou.  And so, as much as I could, I stayed out of the kitchen.

So many things have happened since then that I don’t really know where to start.  I guess it will take a few posts to get you up to speed.

But let me begin by telling you about this little bundle lying at my feet as I write this story.  For the first few months of her life she scared me.  So much so that not a day would pass where I wouldn’t ask myself “what have I done?”  A number of times I thought about giving her back.  I thought that getting a new puppy would make it easier to move on.  Little did I realize that instead, this would be one of the hardest things I’d ever done.

Meet Pash.

Pash

Pash

I ate out a lot over the last few months.  There is a little cafe near where I lived that served this dish regularly and it was one of our favorites. I remember the first night we ordered it, we were going to share a plate, we ended up ordering three plates. It was that good. The original recipe is from Neil Perry – he serves this at his Rockpool restaurant. Making the pasta is not for the faint hearted. It’s not easy making pasta using only potatoes and flour (no eggs to help bind the mixture) but the results are well worth the effort. If you can’t be bothered, feel free to use regular pasta, or otherwise, I suspect wonton wrappers would work as well.

Goat's Cheese Tortellini

Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Potato Gnocchi Dough

King Prawn and Goat’s Cheese Tortellini

From Neil Perry’s Rockpool Cookbook, Serves 6

  • 12 large prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 cup raisins soaked in hot English Breakfast Tea
  • 1/4 cup roasted pinenuts
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve

For the Tortellini

  • 200 grams butter
  • 350 grams floury potatoes (I used Desiree)
  • 150 grams baker’s flour
  • 150 grams fresh goat’s cheese
  • 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. To make the tortellini, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until you are able to pierce the flesh all the way through with a knife.
  2. Place the goat’s cheese, lemon zest, and some lemon juice to taste in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and peel the potatoes and push them through a potato ricer. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the flour. Mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Place half the dough in a bowl covered with a tea towel to keep warm. Take the other half and dust with a little flour as you put it through the pasta machine to ensure it doesn’t stick. Run it through the largest setting a few times until the dough comes together. The dough will not look as smooth as pasta made with flour and eggs.
  4. Continue to lower the setting of the pasta, ensuring that you use just enough flour to ensure that the pasta doesn’t stick to the machine. Stop when you reach the third to the last setting (it won’t be as thin as regular pasta). Lay the pasta sheet on the bench and trim the edges with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Cut the pasta into four inch squares as you will be folding the dough over to make triangles for the tortellini.
  5. Pipe a bit of the goat’s cheese mixture toward the top left hand corner of each square. Fold the bottom right hand corner to the top to form a triangle enveloping the goat’s cheese. You should have the triangles on the bias with the point facing away from you to the top left. Fold the base of the triangle lengthwise so it is level with, and covers, the top point. You will have a long skinny piece of pasta with a bump in the middle.
  6. Pick up the pasta and wrap it around your index finger with the top point of the triangle facing away from you. Squeeze the two ends together where they overlap and remove your finger. Place on a floured tray and continue with the rest.
  7. To finish the dish, place some olive oil in a pan and heat. Add the prawns and cook for around one minute on each side, until cooked through but make sure not to overcook the prawns.
  8. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and remove from the pot with a slotted spoon once they float to the top. Set aside and keep in a warm place.
  9. To serve, place around 4 to 5 pieces of the tortellini around the outside of a plate and the prawns in the middle. Sprinkle with the raisins and pinenuts. In the same pan used to cook the prawns, heat the butter until it starts to foam and smells nutty. Spoon the butter over the prawns and tortellini. Finish with grater parmesan cheese.
Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Prawns, Pinenuts and Raisins

Goat's Cheese Tortellini with Prawns, Pinenuts and Raisins

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Bizou

August 14, 2011 by trissalicious

Bizou

Bizou came into our lives around December of 2007.  The fact that a three hour car drive turned into eight before we finally managed to take her home should have given me some inkling on what a trouble maker she was, but of course, back then, I was just thinking of her as a companion to our other dog.  Nothing more.

It started a few days later when my Mom told me that she had seen “the little dog jump” on the table.  “All dogs do that.” I told her.  “No, I mean she jumped ON the table.”  she said.  “Impossible.”  I had never seen, nor heard of a dog jumping on the table.  I just thought it was my Mom exaggerating again until one night I heard whimpering coming from the kitchen.  Sure enough, I went down the stairs to see Bizou, on top of the table, not quite sure how to get down.

A few weeks later my husband and I came home from work late one evening.  I went straight upstairs to change while he let the dogs in from the garage.  “Oh no!” I heard him scream.  “Oh no… Bizou, what did you do!…Trissa, you have to come and see what Bizou ate.”  he called out.  My heart sank.  The dogs had been by themselves the whole day and she could have eaten anything in the garage.  I rushed down to see Bizou, wobbling towards me, her stomach had bloated to three times its normal size.  Had she managed to accidentally eat a tennis balls that got stuck in her tummy?  As I rushed to call the emergency vet hospital I heard my husband laughing.  He walked in from the garage with five kilo bag of dog food which she had somehow managed to open and finish almost all the contents of!

And that was the story of Bizou.  Always getting herself into some kind of trouble.  I can’t count the number of times we had to rush her to the vet because she managed to get a hold of some chocolate.  There was one week she went to the vet twice to have her stomach pumped because of it. It was almost ridiculous as the vet was always scolding me for keeping chocolate lying around.  “I promise you,” I told him “I don’t keep it lying around.  She knows how to pull down latches and open doors!” I told him. I once kept a box of Lindt chocolate in the guest room.  The next morning I woke up to find the door open, little wrappers of Lindt chocolate lying on the floor, along with the empty box.  I swear to you, I had shut the door.  Had she actually managed to pull down the latch to open the door?  My suspicions were confirmed months later when a house guest told me that late one night she had caught Bizou opening the door to the room.  So despite the incredulous look the vet gave me, I knew this to be true.

Of course her appetite wasn’t limited to chocolate – she would eat anything and everything.  I once left a block of butter out to soften overnight.  The next morning the butter was missing from the table so I thought that someone had placed it back into the refrigerator.  I only managed to put the pieces together after seeing an empty butter wrapper on the floor noticing Bizou’s bad tummy.  Then there was the time she and Baci ate a whole bag of sugar… and flour (that happened twice actually).  Flour?!?… seriously.  I  learned to keep everything locked up in the pantry after that.

Is it strange to think that I could learn something from this silly silly dog?  She was certainly fearless.  I remember the first time we took her by the water in Balmain.  She jumped right in – no hesitation.  She loved to swim, regardless of the weather, no matter how choppy the water.  I used to throw sticks as far as I could and she would race with other dogs to get them.  She would win every single time.  But that was the kind of dog Bizou was – she would dive head first into the things she loved… and who cared about the consequences afterwards?  Certainly not her. You know the saying, it is better to ask forgiveness than permission?  That was Bizou.

When I learned that she was prone to ear infections, I tried to get her to stop swimming.  I would try to steer her away from the water but no matter how far we were from it, she always managed to run away from me and jump in.  I would scold her about it afterwards but she would always give me this look like – “whatever I did wrong, it was worth it!”

From Bizou I learned the meaning of unconditional love and devotion.  Many times, when my husband was away for work, I would love nothing more than to sit on the lounge, in front of the TV, she would jump up on the couch and lay her head on my lap, look at me with her doleful eyes and quietly fall asleep.  Then she would slowly turn so I could rub her tummy.  She loved that.

My husband and I would love to take both dogs for a walk on the weekends.  Towards the end of the walk, as we walked past the strip of stores on the main street, I’d ask my husband to take both dogs home so I could browse through the shops.  A few minutes later, as I emerged from the stores, I would see my husband, only managing to walk a few meters away, waiting for me.  “Why didn’t you go home?” I would ask.  “Bizou didn’t want to leave without you.” he would say.  She would plant herself on the ground, refusing to move until I was ready to walk with them home.  You couldn’t get more loyal than that.

One of the things our dogs loved to do was to sleep on our bed with us.  Bizou would always manage to sneak up on the bed when we weren’t looking.  Some people would think she was stubborn, I like to think she was determined.  Having said that, we never liked to encourage it and instead we preferred them to stay on the dog beds on the floor.

Yesterday morning, for some reason, I gave in and got Bizou and Baci to stay on the bed with me.  Bizou was so happy.  She kept on trying to lick my face.

Little did I know that this would be the last time Bizou would get into the bed with me.

A few hours later, my husband called to say that there had been an accident.  Bizou had bolted out of the gate and had been hit by a car.

At that time, I thought it wasn’t anything serious.  After all, Bizou had been in many “accidents” before and had always managed to scrape by.

My husband rushed her to the animal hospital and I met them there.  She must have been in shock but she seemed calm.  I noticed she was breathing heavily and I held her as the vet started the examination.  She had a cut above her eye and I whispered that it was going to be okay.   She gave her a heavy dose of painkillers and oxygen to keep her breathing steady.  Nothing really sank in until the vet said that she had suffered heavy internal bleeding and that she would have to be moved quickly to an emergency hospital.

And then her heart stopped.  They were pushing on her chest and feeding her more oxygen… over and over… and over.  I heard the vet say that they were going to try and give her a shock to her heart but it all happened so quickly… and then the doctor looked at me… and it was finally over.

Of all the posts I have written on this blog, this has certainly been the most painful to write… but I want to make sure that she is remembered for the beautiful and wonderful dog she was.  She was meant to be a companion to our other dog Baci… and then she had to go charm her way into our hearts.

Of her almost four years with us, if there is anything sure, it’s that Bizou had a great life.  She sure got into a lot of trouble, but she was always loved no matter what… and as hard as it was to be there watching her life slip away, I am glad that she knew we were with her until the end.

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Momofuku’s Chicken and Egg on the Thermomix

July 19, 2011 by trissalicious

Chicken and Egg

Chicken and Egg

I’ll be the first to admit, I am a gadget junkie.  This weekend I stepped inside the mall and stepped out with an electric groom tool and a soft serve ice cream maker.  It really didn’t matter that even the salesman tried to dissuade me to get the groom tool or that I had previously bought two ice cream makers (which I had each used once).  My desire to have a soft serve ice cream party during the summer (only six months away) was enough to cloud my normally better judgement.  The truth is, most of the gadgets would be lucky to be used twice… Like my coconut grater, express pizza oven, and smoker (oh actually, that was only used once!).

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