Christmas Ideas 2010

Inspirations for this Christmas:

1. Spices (cloves, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg)
2. Rum
3. Dark chocolate
4. Puff pastry
5. Red, green, white
6. Red velvet cupcakes

Hmm.. this is just a run-through in my mind..

- Ginger ale sorbet
- Roast chicken
- Ravioli
- Phyllo margerita pizzas
- Butterscotch (teeny tiny pieces of moist, melt-in-your-mouth, rich and velvety butterscotch)
- Red velvet cupcakes, snow white icing and green glace cherry with candied orange peel
- I'd love to do tenderloin with Guinness. teehee.
- nice, dark Chard, juicy beets, onions, orange segments, cumin vinaigrette
- red wine poached mini pears
- blackberry, blueberry, raspberry compote/jam biscuits/ jellies
- nice crusty dark bread, to go with natural Jus, some butter, thick slices of medium-grilled beef
- tomatoes (baby Romas, yellow cherry, sauces, marinade, base)
- maybe a variation of baklava, but with chestnut paste, a little smoky, savoury with some almonds and phyllo, spiced, with demerara syrup
- OOH. multi coloured Lollies!! yum.. like, spiced, mint, toffee...
- Brownies!!
- Macarons (yeahyeah.. so cliched.)
- buttery Shortbread. mmmmmmm...

*tummy rumble*
I'm hungry AND excited. :D

Wishlist of Books

Just the other day, JoshuaHappyJumpers was asking me to recommend some cookbooks/recipe books for him... That brings me to the subject of cookbooks, (my personal, unsubstantiated opinion):

Basic steps:
Firstly, identify how much you know about cooking and what you know how to cook.

Then decide between Category Cuisine or Category Technique/Science, (IMHO, are the two major types of cookbooks out there)

A. Cuisine - what are you used to cooking compared to what you want to learn (eg. a French-themed dinner, Thai, Italian, Chinese etc).

• Once you've chosen the Cuisine books, it's easier to narrow down your choices, as books go by Cuisine, Main ingredients, Specific diets, Courses (eg. Breads, desserts) and other easy to identify.
• When you flip through a book, I find it's most important to not get carried away by the pictures, but instead, read the recipes through carefully! I know, even skimming through might seem enough, after all, it's "just cooking food", but this stands between you and the possibility of having a coffee-table book instead of something useful.
• Identify the INGREDIENTS needed. Some of those are seasonal, not available, not available in the required quality/conditions, way too costly for your budget and are maybe so exotic that your intended audience might be a bit wary of trying.
• Identify the METHODS used. Some require equipment/utensils/tools that you may not have. It's not really motivational to slave over a lovely milk chocolate and rum mousse, and learning that you do not have dariole moulds to serve them in, and end up serving it with an ice cream scoop, and everyone at the table exclaiming what nice icecream it is. (Trust me. I went through this recently.)
• Once you have done the above, do check out the elements in the recipes. I find it helpful to research a little about the cuisines so you don't end up with a Pad Thai that resembles a Char Koay Teow on your Sawadee-themed night. Some are inspired (read: fusion) and some are authentic. How to differentiate them? Research and patience to sift through the books available. 

Just keep this in mind - if you're going to spend money on a book which will catapult you to fond memories (and fame) in your guest's minds and stomachs, take a little bit of time to sift through all the grit and ash. It'll pay off!

B. Technique - If you've decided that you do not want to learn a set list full of recipes (which I believe you can get off the Web for free, at reputable sites, of course) and you want to delve deeper into the "How"s and "Why"s.

• Again, as above, you need to narrow it down. Maybe start with something easy for your level of knowledge and experience. Perhaps, you'd like to learn more about bread-making techniques, then buy a book on techniques for that. Or, how to grill meats.
• Also, reconsider the equipment you have at home, when attempting to learn techniques. Unless you have a kitchen, free for your usage, that's fully equipped with everything any chef could ever ask for, which by all means, be my guest. Or rather *thinking* could I be yours? :)
• As the above states, figure out if you have necessary facilities to have a hands-on learning experience. Eg. it requires nitrogen, dehydrators, smokehouse,vacuum-packing machines, reverse griddle so on so forth.

Having mentioned all that, *yawn*, I'd like to put up a list. No.. no.. not hinting. Just keeping track of the books I want to get... 

1. On Food and Cooking : The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee
2. Ratio : The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, by M.Ruhlman
3. The Elements of Cooking : Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen, by M.Ruhlman and A.Bourdain
4. And the celeb list of course: Ad Hoc at Home,by Thomas Keller
5. Bouchon, by Thomas Keller
6. Alinea, by Grant Achatz 
7. Pierre Gagnaire : Reinventing French Cuisine 
8. Simple to Spectacular : How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication, by J.V.Vongerichten and M.Bittman
9. What to Drink with What You Eat : The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Sake, Spirits, Coffee, Tea-- Even Water, by A.Dornenburg and K.Page

So, that's my list... after long years of waiting, wanting and waning. :) Hope this helps!

Cheers!
*scampers off for a nap*

The Thrill returns

I did say, that I'm not for competitions, but, I have to admit, there is such a thrill, an adrenaline rush, when you get that coveted medal, in repayment for all the hard work, cringing, cold sweat, blood and tears. Of course, what more, being a female in a very-male-dominated world....

And then, you hear of good news such as this:

See Lay Na of Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur and her assistant, Mandy Goh.

Read all about it here.

*breathes in awe*

What more, to realise that the judges are Paul Bocuse, and *gasp* Thomas Keller!!! Not forgetting the other glitterati of the cooking world, but.... Mr. Keller! *AWE*

Sunday Dinner

Had lovely Nasi Dagang with Ikan Tongkol curry, yummy Beef Rendang, Mutton curry and Debal Curry. All over the regions and cultures, it culminated in one meal. It was absolutely satisfying!!

The weather has been so hot and dry lately! Each weekend, we go out and drink so much water and yet have no urge to go to the loo. That's how HOT it's been.

So after lunch and TinkyWinky's playdate, we left back for home, and stopped by to get some sugarcane and coconut water. Somehow, Kelapa Pandan is not as nice as it is back home. And they don't have it here that much anyways! Went back, hoping for a nice, cold and tasty drink... and met with a tasteless somewhat clear liquid. *grr* So I made a little sugar syrup, put a drop of rose flavour and red colouring, and ended up with a light pink, more delightful thirst quencher. MMM. :D

Dinner was merely Bak Kut Teh, with fu chuk, enoki, pork ribs, stomach, intestines and liver simmered for about 4 hours in a Chinese herb concoction with some To Miao (green bean sprouts) lightly sauteed with some oyster and soy sauce. Rice was made with a little garlic oil for more flavour and separate grains.

That's all the pics I got today... Must keep remembering to USE PAS (my standard Point-And-Shoot)!!

Have a good week everyone!! :D

My Little Secret

Sometimes, I'm just happy to have my cellphone devoid of batteries so I can snuggle up with this...

Plaisirs Simples

The simple pleasures in life for me:

1. Warm, buttery croissant with creme Chantilly and fruits
2. Warm, crusty baguette with generous amounts of creamy, salted butter

"I do like a little bit of butter to my bread." 
~A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

3. Crispy streaky bacon with American-styled hash browns (grated potatoes, grilled on a hot plate, full of juices and rendered fat from previously grilled burgers, pork sausages and the aforementioned bacon), somewhat similar to the Jewish potato latkes and German rosti and thick-cut juicy ripe tomatoes, tossed with a little olive oil, salt, sugar, freshly crushed black pepper and then flash-grilled, just to bring out the flavours in a contrast of textures and caramelisation.

Yum...

Definition:

1. Creme Chantilly: sweetened whipped cream.
 - some use icing sugar, some use fine granulated sugar with fresh cream, I use vanilla sugar.

2. Baguette: a long, crusty, white loaf originated from France, hence the popular term, "French Loaf".

Note: Good wheat-flour bread (lean bread, meaning, low amounts of sugar and fat) makes a hollow sound when tapped, preferably with a hard crust. Europeans golden brown is the Asian definition of "nearly burnt" and Asians tend to like a softer crusted bread, with less crumb. Although, I may generalise, the trends are changing.

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts!"
~James Beard

Personally, I love hard, crusty bread, just slightly warmed up, with either butter or some olive oil, or even plain! Tough and chewy. It just gives more character to bread than a nondescript, silent *cut* when we bite.

I LOVE bread.

"All sorrows are less with bread."
~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

"Bread and butter, devoid of charm in the drawing-room, is ambrosia eating under a tree."
~Elizabeth Russell

 But, the most challenging bread I've ever had to eat, was pumpernickel.
Try it oneday, if you haven't. Let me know how you feel about it. :)

Pretty Pictures (Courtesy of Eve)

Well, the mysterious concept dinners I refer to are actually one of my last subjects for my last semester (crosses fingers) in KDU. The general idea is that a group of 10-11 people get together, discuss a concept restaurant that is unique (not yet in Malaysia) and must prepare the decorations and a suitable menu for the Grand Opening night.

It is a one-night only dinner, held in the Windows of Damansara restaurant, 1st floor, KDU University College. Decor, music, service, attire, menu, food and entertainment must all concur with the Theme of the restaurant.

Well, the group leader for mine chose a 'Under Construction' theme...

And so, I cooked accordingly.

My bestie Eve came and she shot many delightful pictures that did more-than-deserved justice to the food and the event itself.

All following pictures are courtesy of Evelyn Tea. Thanks dearie!

This was the table set-up. Despite my hesitations, it looked beautiful.

Amuse Bouche:

A cold, savoury shooter made of red watermelon with Thai aromatics, reminiscent of Tomyam soup, crabmeat marinaded with coriander, lime juice, kaffir lime zest, julienned Thai basil leaves - deepfried.

The Appetizer (From Right to Left: I have a BIG sinking feeling, service placed it wrongly)

In the middle:

Bamboo Charcoal Noodles, chilled, marinaded with soy sauce, sesame oil and white sesame;

Mesclun salad with a basic vinaigrette;

Bottom: Carpaccio of Octopus (not PAUL!), braised in a mixture of Sake, Soy sauce, Rice vinegar and brown sugar, tossed with some orange zest and chilli flakes.

This here seems to be favourite of the table:

Soft japanese egg tofu coated in a minced chicken & roasted green pepper mixture, wrapped in julienned Phyllo pastry, deepfried and served with sweet Thai chilli sauce.

I had a ball of a time making the above, the Maguro tuna (one of the most expensive items on the menu) from a very helpful Sushi Chef Yap in Jaya Grocer, Empire Subang Gallery, who also kindly provided the Octopus.

This was basically a play on words which inspired the name for the appetizer "Building Blocks", which consisted of little 'blocks' of firstly raw maguro;

diced celery which was vacuum-packed in a green apple and white wine vinegar pickling liquid; Roma tomatoes which were pulsed with a little tomato puree, and then suspended in a muslin-lined conical strainer, yielding a clear tomato 'consomme', to which, agar-agar powder was added (coagulent) and then diced.

Prior to service, all items were tossed together with some lemon zest, salt and a little olive oil.

The soup, "Smoking Hot" was a play on the smoked duck, by which I couldn't find any halal smoked duck, and therefore introduced the smoke flavour, by smoking some wood chips and flavouring the consomme with them during the clarification. It's a little greasy, as I forgot to degrease further. :(

It's served with a chicken liver mousseline: Chicken liver, marinaded with 5 spice powder, lightly poached in a little sweated shallots & red wine liquid, pulsed with some cream, with some whipped cream folded in. We later wrapped it in wonton skins and deepfried it. Should have given more to the guests, feedback says it tastes like pork pate. :)

I had a beautiful, flavourful brown stock made of shank bones, which we reduced to 1/3, added in the Guinness, and covered the Frenched lamb racks, 200C, 35 minutes, with mirepoix and clarified butter. We then rested it for more than an hour in its juices, seared it a little before serving it with the cooking liquid, reduced to a thick, shiny Jus.

Baby carrots were kinda out of season at the moment, and so I only had 1 for each guest.

Served it together with some lentils and mixed beans stewed in the lamb stock, baby Roma tomato confit with a red wine vinegar glaze and Enoki mushroom tempura.

This was Barramundi, slashed, seasoned with salt & pepper and Cajun seasoning, flash-grilled on a smoking grill, then slowbaked in the oven. Served with beetroot, peppery arugula, feta cheese, red onion salad with an orange-cumin vinaigrette.

Couscous was cooked with butter, fish stock and then orange zest and dill were stirred in.

Last minute, I realised I had no sauce (AGAIN!)for the fish, and so came up with an adlib variation of Beurre Blanc, where I reduced orange juice, white wine vinegar and shallots, then monteed in cubes of cold butter.

Dessert wasn't as spectacular as I hoped, the portions were cut too big, and the marshmallow filling was a little flat, but it did taste good. A bit decadent, as the previous dishes were lighter and more inclined to being acidic.

The Rocky Road was deconstructed and reconstructed into a dark chocolate fudge pie, coffee biscuit base (bitterness to balance the sweet), Turkish delight and marshmallow layers. I then introduced the nuts by making a peanut nougatine, for crunch value, together with the milk chocolate bombe (frozen mousse), which had rum and white wine (sabayon). Later, we sprinkled Strawberry Pop Rocks on the chocolate mousse for the Fun factor, and a mixed berry compote, where I monteed butter into the red wine reduction for a more velvety, silky finish.

This was decorated with a sparkler on a potato cube, just to pretty things up a bit. (Originally was supposed to be stuck into a Dome-shaped bombe, but hygiene & practicality called for a different measure.)

It went well, Evelyn said the kitchen was so quiet (good thing!) and HerrGerhard did not say anything during service. Things were a little shaky in the beginning, as we all strived to gain the tempo and timing (like an orchestra), fine-tuning all our instruments, but it all ended peacefully. :)

So, that was my dinner. Many others before and after it, which had their highlights as well, but this is all for now.

*Phew*

Relief and happiness.  :D

Lazy Day Friday

Who else out there is thankful it's Friday? :)

Today, was a flurry of activities as I hurried to tie up loose ends here and there. Came back to 2 very hungry brown lumps, so I fed him bacon, scrambled egg & cheese in a baguette while I'll be making her some grilled lamb later on.. Hmmm...

Ooh, and made Cincau with Rose syrup...

Inspired by the lovely drink from K3K Benta Kaya, SS15, Subang Jaya.

Thumbs up for a colourful thirst-quencher!

Roast Chicken

Lately, staff meals have been donations of chicken parts from all around the college. They either are carcasses that go into a graveyard of chicken bones (chicken stock) or if they are still meaty, they go into the hotbed of the oven.

My marination for meats is pretty simple:
1. Acid
2. Salt
3. Herbs/Spices
4. Oil

So it's simple, really, and people ask me, what I put in it. It's anything I can get my hands on in the kitchen, really.

So, first time around, it was red wine vinegar, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, Lea & Perrins and generous amounts of olive oil.

Next up, it was Chinese black vinegar, cajun seasoning, black pepper, basted with a little light soy sauce and the olive oil again.

180C. 35 minutes.

BOOM! Crispy skin that crackles like paper and juicy tender insides.

That's my nugget for today.

Today's Adlib

Today was the last of all the concept dinners, and my shackles cut free!

Joseph was the Head Chef, and was sweating practically at every corner, while Arias, Edwin and I were just busy cracking jokes about everything under the sun. So, when it came to service time, HerrGerhard put on a serious face and strode around the kitchen, looking for anything that could or had gone wrong. Arias and I were just fooling around and dancing around on the slippery kitchen floor. Suddenly, I realised, I didn't make any sauce for my COD.

Freaked out, minced some onions, sweated it then added some grape juice, and some 2001 French red,let it reduce, stirring my arborio with sauteed mushrooms, thyme and red bell peppers, then adding a little vinegar to the sauce, sliced some cherry tomatoes, chopped some sage and parsley, and seasoned the reduced sauce with some sugar and salt and a bit more vinegar.
Stirred in the sliced tomatoes, swirled it a bit and brought it to a boil, then took it off the heat, added in chopped herbs and let it sit a little.

And it went awesomely with the creamy, fatty cod!!! MMM.

That, with the mushroom and sauteed red pepper risotto, with a little cream, some fresh thyme, monte'd saffron butter before serving, plus a side of shallots pickled in red wine and brown sugar and crispy Russet skin on a Green apple, yellow pepper and red Onion salad.

All in all, I was quite happy when no customers complained and everyone loved the creamy cod and it's pairing of dusky red wine and grape juice with cheeky little cherry tomatoes and a hint of sage and parsley.

First in 7pm, last dish out at 9pm, 41 pax, 6 courses.

After which, we went for a few beers and vented the night away...

*beamy yawn*

Project Escoffier

Hmmm... I know this is so reminiscent of Julie Powell, but I'd like to undertake Auguste Escoffier's Complete Book of Recipes, just to explore and expand my knowledge on French cuisine. I know, I know... nowadays, it's all about fusion and French is so passe, but what draws me to it is the simplicity of dishes such as Sole Meuniere, basically, sole, floured lightly, then browned in butter, and chopped parsley on top, squeeze of lemon juice, and finished of with butter heated up until it begins to brown slightly. As Escoffier so eloquently puts it, 

"This is poured over the fish immediately, and it is sent to the table at once while still covered by the froth resulting from the contact of the butter with the parsley."

Beurre noisette [berr noo-ah-zet] (beurre - butter, noisette - nuts):
Clarified butter that has been browned, that has a nutty scent and flavour.

YUM.

Altogether, 2,973 recipes (including basic stocks, roux and sauces) which will definitely break the bank! Updates on this one once I start this.


And today, at prep time for the last concept dinner, Arias and I were discussing the delight of simple dishes, whereby, I brought up the craving I had for lovely, warm and buttery croissants, fresh whipped cream and berries for breakfast/tea. Of course, didn't get that anywhere around KL nor Singapore (when I had my English tea craving), but that craving was satisfied when I cooked a Ponstaneous dinner for neighbours, MommyNesha and SirGerald one Sunday evening. Result? MMMMM's all around the dinner table.

I forgot to bring along my own point-and-shoot today, should've!! Because staff meal consisted of Black Vinegar Roast Chicken (paper-crispy skin) and Raspberry & Blueberry Pavlova. Hehe, things I do in the kitchen when hungry.

*skitters off to bed*

Creation Inspiration

Surprise, surprise.. After endless naggings by Ian, I've decided to branch out into another aspect of my passion.. Cooking.

It all started a long long time ago, flashes of cooking activities going on around my little self, in an old Peranakan house, with high ceilings made out of solid wood, and decorated with handpainted patterned tiles on the floors. I find much consolation in those memories, when I feel down and lost... so I look back and remember all those moments I had, and somehow or another, it has led me to where I am today.

I only discovered how different I was from my other friends, when I was about 18 or 19 years old and had Chinese New Year food at a friend's house. I questioned my friend, about the lack of Beef Rendang, Jiu Hoo Char and dry Chicken Curry. My friend look in askance at me, and said "That's not Chinese food. Are you even Chinese?"

I then went to my grandmother (wise matriarch) and asked her. She then said, "Girl, we are Baba Nyonya. Those dishes are OUR typical dishes for New Year. Chinese don't even make those dishes." And it dawned upon me, that, hey, we were something quite out of the ordinary.

Fast forward to today, and everyone claims to do everything by every culture and country. Of course, I am not going to start by stamping our rights on which dish belongs to whom and which culture, but I have to say, I do find some pride in declaring that certain dishes are 'ours'. Yes, the adaptations are definitely from other cultures, but there is always some result of variance due to differing tastebuds and methods.

And of course, there are the different types of Baba Nyonyas as well. The Malacca Peranakan are proud of their heritage, the Singaporeans too and the Penang Peranakan are supposedly 'too much influence of Thai food' and so on. I won't delve into those controversial intricacies now - this is an introduction not a conference paper. :)

Last Saturday, I had the great honour of making a new friend, John De Silva, Serani as they say in Penang, Eurasian all over and Portuguese in KL. Oh well, he's a cousin of Andrew, Eve's speed dial #2 and he goes around, with a simple point-and-shoot camera documenting all he eats and sees. He, too, has a blog called Cili Padi Diaries. Saturday was the group's day out, as it started in K3K Benta Kaya (funny name, I know, which kind of deterred me from trying it out, but ZamZamAlaKazam told us it was good, and ever since then, it's been our staple Saturday lunch place.) and we went off to Pipit Marketplace 5 and the Power Over Cervical Cancer @ Zouk, where I ran into several friends and caught up a little here and there. After which, we went off to Anu & Radhi's place for Ganesh's birthday BBQ and had tons of yummy food and drink. Doctor Anu can cook ay?! :D

So, conversations with John led me to thinking and inspired me as well. I'd love to be a food-blogger, competing with the myriads of people around and risking looking like a tourist wherever I go, but, this little niche here will be my own personal discovery of food. My little confession booth, my little crevice of my mind and all that is privy to it.

This is fun, I believe, and will also be sporadic, since my line of work consists of long hours, workaholism and relentless energy, but, let's leave it as is for now, until after the New Year for our usual New Year Broken Resolutions mood to sink in.

Random they will be, and hopefully, in an organised way.

*breathes in cold night air*

I'm excited.....

*rubs hands together in glee*