My Elastic Pants

Pasta Pillows

2011-11-28T00:35:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Cook house / Bakery / Whatever

Here’s a little something I tried making from one of my various cook books: Ravioli, cute little bite sized pillows of pasta filled with as little or as much ingredient as you can imagine. I found this recipe in “Your Place or Mine?”; a cook book co-authored by two of MasterChef Australia’s judges: Gary Mehigan and George Colombaris.

Since I had some left over ‘00’ flour I decided to put it to good use and try my hand a making: Haloumi and mint ravioli with burnt butter and raisins. Sadly though I wasn’t able to secure any Haloumi pasta from my local supermarket so I substituted it with some Greek feta cheese (sticking with George’s Greek heritage).

Ingredients – Pasta Dough

250g ‘00’ flour
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients – Filling

400g Haloumi / Feta cheese
200g firm ricotta cheese
3 eggs (1 lightly beaten)
10 shredded mint leaves
Salt
150g unsalted butter (chopped)
130g raisins
130g pistachios (peeled and lightly roasted)
3-4 slices of Parma ham chopped

Directions

Place flour in mixing bowl and add the eggs (whole) then the egg yolks and olive oil until the dough reaches a course breadcrumb consistency
Remove from bowl and shape into a ball, wrap it in cling film and allow it to rest for at least 2 hours
Finely grate/shred the feta in a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, Parma ham 2 unbeaten eggs and mint.
Divide the filling into approximately 12 small balls and set aside
Working on a flour dusted surface, divide the dough ball in 1/2
Using a pasta machine with its widest setting, feed the dough though
Fold the flattened sheet in 1/2 then feed it through the machine again
Repeat set 7 again two more times
Feed pasta through the machine again reducing the thickness setting by one
Continue until you reach the second last setting
Cut the final sheet in 1/2 and cover with a damp towel
Repeat for the remaining pasta dough
Take one sheet of rolled pasta and place 6 of the cheese filling on it (evenly spaced)
Brush the gaps between the filling with the beaten egg
Place another pasta sheet in top of the first sheet (with filling), press around the filling to remove any air bubbles
Using a knife cut 6m squares
Place your ravioli on a dusted tray
Bring a large sauce pan of salted water to the boil, cook the ravioli for 4 minutes (or until they float to the surface) remove and keep warm
Melt butter in a frying pan until it turns a light brown, add raisins and pistachios
Pour over the ravioli immediately, garnish with additional mint leaves

Feta & Mint Ravioli with Burnt Butter & Raisins

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

I know there are a lot of steps here to follow, but as they say, good things come to those who wait. And trust me this dish is really worth it!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

A Long Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away..

2011-11-09T23:09:00.001+08:00

Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

What do you get when you mix the internet, a bag of candy and a 3 day weekend? crazy stuff happening in the kitchen! While surfing the information super highway I stumbled on a zany recipe on one of my favorite sites: The Pioneer Woman; yes the same lady who introduced me the using chipolate peppers as part of a slow cooked pulled pork recipe. The recipe I took and adapted was for a Milky Way cake, I grew up eating these little bars through my childhood, so why not make a grown up desert out of it!

Before I go on I have to state here that there is a slight difference between the American milky way (which is used in Ree’s recipe) and the European / Australian version of the milky way (which I used). The American version has included with it a layer of caramel (YUM!) which is similar to another bar that I grew up eating: a Mars bar!

Anyways back to the recipe / task at hand. Here’s what you need to make yourself the Milky Way cake:

Ingredients

11 whole Milky Way bars (the packet that I bought only had mini bars so I used slightly less than the 11 specified)
3 x 100g of salted butter (the original recipe called for margarine, but butter’s my baby)
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup of buttermilk
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 cups of sugar
4 whole eggs
2 cups of icing sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup of milk
1 cup of chopped Pecan nuts

Directions – Cake

Milky Way Goodness in a Cake

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius (you’ll be low and slow cooking this to ensure your cake is deliciously moist
Using a bane Marie, melt the 8 Milky Way bars with 1 portion of butter continually stirring to melt and combine, remove from heat and set aside
Sift salt and flour together
Mix baking soda with the buttermilk and then add two teaspoons of vanilla essence
Cream one portion of butter with 2 cups of sugar until smooth and silky and add one egg to the butter at a time stirring until combined
Add 1/2 a cup of the flour mixture to the butter and eggs stir until combined
Add a small portion of the buttermilk and stir until combined
Repeat steps 6 & 7 until no more flour and buttermilk
Add melted Milky Way mixture and combine well.
Pour cake mixture into a 9”x13” baking pan and cook for an hour or until a skewer to the middle of the cake comes out dry
Remove from the oven and allow to cool

Directions – Icing

Sinful Milky Way Icing :)

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Dry roast the Pecans to help bring out their flavor
Remove from pan and roughly chop
Using a bane Marie, melt 3Milky Way bars with 1 portion of butter continually stirring to melt and combine
Add the powdered sugar, salt, milk and a teaspoon of vanilla and incorporate well
Add roasted pecans
Pour over the cooled cake (for space reasons I divided my baked cake in two and made it thicker; double happiness!) and allow the icing to set

And the final taste.. the cake was moist with a unique texture; thanks primarily to the Milky Way. Ideally you serve up this cake warm with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

Howdy Y’all

2011-11-09T01:16:00.001+08:00

Sin Ming Cookhouse \ Bakery \ Whatever

I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for the longest time: Deep Fried Buttermilk Chicken. Without a deep fryer I’ve been rather hesitant to try and shallow fry these tasty morsels; however thanks to mom (the ever generous soul that she is) we’ve temporarily borrowed her Philips Air Fryer.

Here’s the recipe that I used to make these little bits of heaven; they really were a synch to make!

Ingredients

12 chicken drumsticks
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, bruised and skins removed
1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2-3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of paprika

Directions

Place the chicken drumsticks in a large freezer bag, and add the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of oil.
Add the bruised garlic cloves to the bag with the crushed peppercorns and salt.
Sprinkle in the ground cumin and finally add the maple syrup, and then squish everything in the freezer bag around to mix the marinade and coat the chicken.
Leave the buttermilk marinated chicken in the fridge ideally overnight or out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
In a shallow tin add 2-3 cups of plain flour, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of paprika
Take a drumstick at a time, shake of excess butter milk and dust in flour mixture
Deep fry in hot oil at 180 – 190 degrees Celsius / 180 degrees Celsius in your Air Fryer for 15 – 20 minutes

Deep Fried Buttermilk Chicken

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

I had these little babies with some salad.. you know have to balance out the yin with the yang, but I have to say the drum sticks were knee slappingly delicious; the coating was paper thin and when you bit into each piece you get a warm ripple of buttermilk infused chicken juice.. dare I say “yee-har”!

A Visit to the Star

2011-11-04T16:59:00.001+08:00

Star Casino, Darling Harbor

Adriano Zumbo at The Star
Shop 1 Café Court, The Star
80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont

“So Traci I’m going to be heading over to Sydney, do you want to meet up while I’m back?”

“Sure, let’s ‘Zumbo’!” was the reply and with that, I met up with a fellow cook and backer a the new Adriano Zumbo restaurant at the newly renovated ‘The Star’ Casino. At the time of our visit the restaurant wasn’t completely opened.. the desert sushi train concept was working but not yet for public use, everywhere we looked we just saw macarons, macarons and more macarons!

More Deserts than you can Poke a Stick at!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

We took a quick look at each other and we decided on ordering every single item in the shop (minus the mountain of macarons). The poor attendant in the shop looked at us dumbfounded when we asked for one of everything, even more gob smacked when we informed her we’d be consuming them then and there!

With out booty obtained we scurried off to a little table in the eatery and began devouring our feast (not before documenting everything first mind you!)

Ssnowmanorr – Pate a choux, bubble tea custard, lychee coconut cream legere, lychee gel and coconut crunch

Whizz Fizz – pate sable, raspberry compote, liquorice crème, raspberry sherbet meringue

Ping Pong Show – coconut rice pudding bavaroise, lime jelly, chili brulee, lime dacquiose

Grandma’s Soap – pate sable, blueberry compote, fresh blueberries, lavender Chantilly, almond crème

Citron Tart – Pate sable, citron crème

Man Goes Peanuts – peanut butter crunch, mango compote, mango burnt honey mousse, pain de epice

Lemon Carpet Crush – citron crème, flourless lemon cake, lemon crush liquid, vanilla Chantilly, lemon crush jelly, lime marshmallow & sable

Xiwt – pate sable, shortbread, caramel and milk chocolate ganache

The deserts were pretty hit and miss for the both of us; the ones that stood out and craved to be ordered again were the “ping pong show” and the “whizz fizz” it was just a shame that we were not able to eat in the premises itself.

If all those deserts / pastires from Adriano was not enough I got a little goodie bag from the cookie diva!

Cookies from the Cookie Queen!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Thanks again Traci for the cookies (which looked and tasted great!) and meeting up and for the Zumbo experience. I had a blast! For those of you looking to have come cookies / cakes made.. swing by Traci’s FaceBook page: Cookie Queen Kitsch’n

Have Kitchen Will Cook

2011-11-04T00:54:00.001+08:00

Various Kitchens, Sydney, Australia

Supplemental to my previous post of my auditions for MasterChef: Australia the upside to me being there is the opportunity to cook for the family! Some of you may think that a holiday is taking time away and doing nothing; but for me it was time well spent in the kitchen cooking for those that mean the most to me: Family!

Meal 1: Bak Kut Teh

Pardon my nephew’s ‘sippy cup’ in the background! The first meal that I ended up cooking for my sister and brother in law was something that they discovered and loved during their first visit to the Chili Padi and I in Singapore; the renown peppery pork rib soup.
During Ben’s last visit we bought for him some instant bak kut teh packets from Ng Ah Sio at Rangoon Road. So the search began in earnest to find the long pork ribs; previous trips to the supermarkets and western butchers only yielded short pork ribs. It wasn’t until we went to an Asian butcher were we able to get full sized ribs (note here you’ll have to specifically ask for these ribs as they aren’t on display).

Accompanied with the delicious pork soup was a trial version of the salad that I was going to cook for the MasterChef audition. It was gobbled up mightily fast!

Meal 2: Steamed Mussels in Beer and Berry Soufflé

During my trip to the fish markets to procure sashimi ingredients for my MasterChef: Australia audition I could not resist buying an additional kilo of Victorian blue mussels for some personal consumption (I was intending on cooking this dish too for the judges had I advanced past the first audition).

Mussels at the Fish Markets

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

I cannot say how much I love visiting the fish markets, or any markets back home; especially since the huge success of food channels/cooking shows, there is just so much more variety in terms of exotic ingredients (things which we find common place here in Asia).

In addition to the mussels I whipped up some berry soufflé to end what was a very decadent dinner for my sister and brother; it’s been a while since they’ve had someone cook something for them (that and they were always complaining that they’d never had a chance to try my cooking)!

Meal 3: Beer can Chicken

Finally a chance to cook for the olds a very long time friend from primary school; would you believe in all this time he’d never had a chance to sample my cooking! Well I couldn’t leave Australia without cooking my beer can chicken, you know the chicken with a beer can stuffed up its butt!

Since there were so many of us eating I made two! This in accompaniment with two of my moms deserts we were all stuffed to the brim!

Mom’s charioca’s deep fried balls of goodness coated in palm sugar – it’s a Filipino street food.. hardly street food taste in this house!

I did cook other dishes while I was there; eggs in hell and some slow roasted pulled pork; sadly I didn’t have time to take pictures! I’m glad the family liked my cooking, it’s fun seeing a table full of people not saying anything, just digging into their food!

A Trip Down the MasterChef Rabbit Hole!

2011-10-30T16:23:00.000+08:00

Sydney, Australia

MasterChef; you’ve heard of it right? You know that cooking/reality show where amateur cooks battle their way though many rounds/episodes of cooking tests until one is left standing at the end of 6 months. It’s a great opportunity for people aspiring to make themselves know to the big bad world; it’s something I’ve wanted to try, so when the opportunity presented itself to enter I jumped in head first.

The application form itself was a long and lengthy process of filling a web form. After almost 1/2 a day of thinking of what to write I was finally presented with the “Submit” button. With some blind faith I pressed the button and waited…

A few months past then low and behold one morning when I was in the office I got a call from one of the casting crew from Australian MasterChef informing me that I’d been invited to partake in the up and coming auditions for season 4! In the space of a week I had to think of what to cook for the audition, sort things out work wise and last but not least book myself on a jet plane back!

The dish that I had planned to cook (after much discussion with Chef Bansani) would be a Sashimi salad with honey and wasabi dressing topped with fish roe and mango; “A salad?” I hear you ask, well the conditions for the audition were that you bring a dish from home and assemble it on the spot; with no means of refrigeration, heating (stove) or knives at your disposal.

Sydney.. Here I come!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

So with ticket in hand, dish decided and my bags packed I set forth to the land down under in pursuit of something I never thought I’d see myself doing: a dream to perhaps be working in a kitchen. With The Chili Padi, Sarah, mom and dad on hand to see me off it was the biggest shot in the arm before heading out into the land of the unknown!

Get me to a supermarket STAT!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

8 hours (and 6 Singapore slings) later and a familiar sight of the harbor greeted me, while thoughts of the MasterChef audition were still in the back of my mind all I wanted to do was land and head out to a supermarket, buy stuff and cook something!

@ The Sydney Fish Markets

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

In preparation for the audition involved me visit the fish markets for the freshest and tastiest white fish sashimi (I bought snapper and king fish) for the salad, and several trips to to the local produce market for some choice vegetables.

I made a practice version of the dish for the family, it seemed to have gone down well. I was ready and raring to go for the audition!

Audition Time

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

The audition for MasterChef season 4 itself, well sad to say I don’t have too much to write about, I didn’t make it past the first round. Perhaps my life was a little too ‘normal’ in relation to the other people in the group that I was auditioning with. Unfortunately the initial audition was more about how well you’re interview than with how well you cook; you were not allowed access to a hotplate, stove or any means of cooking prior to your allotted slot, so you basically had to come in with your dish ready to present and eat.

I won’t go too much into detail about what was discussed or what I thought of my other audition-ees food, but I suppose it just wasn’t my year. To say I was bummed would be a understatement but having family around to pick you up when you’re down really does make a big difference! The whole audition process left me a little jaded, more determined to pursue the dream I have of cooking better and tastier food more often and to proved to the judges that there were wrong for not letting me go through! I’m still a fan of the show, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got to work on getting more issues into my life to make it a lot less boring and make it more interesting for TV. It was a fun experience, something that I can look back at and say that I gave it my all!

Aside from the MasterChef audition I was able to sneak in some eating at Adriano Zumbo’s new outlet at “The Star”, a visit to a fete, family time with the relatives, and most importantly I got to cook nearly every day for my family! Stay tuned more to follow in subsequent posts!

google Tags: MasterChef Australia, Sydney fish markets, Sydney

Avocado & Cake?

2011-10-10T17:09:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Avocado Icing

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

A while back I was presented with a slight problem; I had excess avocado! Instead of making the usual salad or an avocado shake, I wanted to see whether I could use the avocado in some type of dessert and a thought crossed my mind owing back to one lunch outing where I saw a shop making an avocado shake with chocolate topping; why not try making a chocolate cake with avocado icing?

This recipe is a mishmash of two recipes that I managed to find from Nigella Lawson (old fashioned chocolate cake) and the Food Network (avocado icing). I have modified the recipes slightly, any search through your favorite search engine should be able to find you the recipes you’re looking for.

Ingredients – Avocado Icing

1 ripe avocado
1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice
200g icing sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions – Avocado Icing

Whisk the avocado with the lemon juice (strained) until it becomes slightly pale in color
In 50g lots add the sifted icing sugar and continue beating in the mixer until thoroughly combined
Store in the refrigerator until required

Ingredients – Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40g cocoa
175g soft unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 vanilla pod
150ml sour cream

Directions – Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter
Bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 25 minutes
Remove the cakes from the tin to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later

Assembly

Take the icing out of the fridge and apply liberally to the top of the cake
Working from the centre out in a circular motion spread the icing to the edges
Once at the edge place icing along the sides and even out with icing spatula or regular spatula
Decorate with shaved chocolate
Serve at room temperature

And there you have it.. the rich dense chocolaty goodness of the cake and the semi sweet with a hint of sour from the creamy avocado icing!
Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: Avocado, Chocolate, Cake, Dessert, Food Network, Nigella Lawson

Thai Styled “Nasi Lemak”

2011-10-09T23:34:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

The Chinese have their fried rice and the Malays have their Nasi Lemak, while searching the internet I found a recipe for what I think would qualify for the Thai version of Nasi Lemak: a simple shrimp paste fried rice accompanied with some sweet fried chicken.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup dried shrimp
1 egg
1/3 cup shredded green mango
1 chicken breast
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon sliced small Thai chilies
1 tablespoon sliced shallots
1/4 - 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon coriander

Directions

To make the sweet chicken, slice the pork thin (approximately 1-2cm thick). Fry the chicken in in about 1 teaspoon of oil on high heat to seal in the juices
In a separate bowl combine fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper, and palm sugar then add to the chicken in the pan
Lower the heat to medium low
Cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce becomes shiny and sticky. Set aside
To make the egg strips. Crack one egg in a bowl and whisk until mixed
Lightly coat a pan with a small amount of oil. Pour the egg in and tilt the pan so the egg evenly coats the bottom of the pan
Fry on medium heat until set and golden (not brown). Flip once. Take off heat and allow to cool.
Roll the egg and slice thin to create strips. Set aside.
Fry the shrimp in oil until crispy, about 30 seconds on medium-high. Strain and set aside.
Slice the chilies & shallots thin. Peel the mango’s skin and chop with a knife to make thin strips
Add a little oil (about a teaspoon) into your pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is hot, add the rice, shrimp paste and fish sauce. Stir well to mix.
Cook until the rice is warmed up and mixed well
Garnish with cilantro.
When you eat it, mix it all together and squeeze the fresh lime juice on top\

Khao Kluk Gapi

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Sweet chicken vs. the fried chicken of the nasi lemak, the fried shrimp vs. the fried ikan bilis, the chili padi and lime vs. the sambal. I have to say I do like this variant of cooking fried rice, this is a dish which I think I will be making more of in the future!
Bon Appétit – Sidney

Balls of Morocco

2011-10-06T17:30:00.000+08:00

@Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

After our little excursion to Pasha I felt inspired to try and whip up one of the dishes that the Chili Padi liked so much from the kitchen, the Lahm Kefta Tajine (Slow cooked beef meat balls in tomato base sauce with egg, herbs and spices), sadly though without the Tajine I had to make do with the equipment I had in the kitchen: namely the good old sauce pan and the dry fryer

Ingredients – Meatballs

500g lean minced beef
70g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk
2 fresh red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped
1 tea spoon roasted ground cumin
Salt & ground black pepper
3/4 cup of beef stock
Tomato sauce (see below)

Ingredients – Tomato Sauce

4-6 ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika or 1/4 teaspoon ground hot pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup olive oil

Ingredients – Saffron Rice

1-2 cups of long grain rice
pinch of saffron leaves
sultanas

Directions

Place the minced beef, breadcrumbs, milk, chillies and cumin in a medium bowl and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.
Season with salt and pepper. Roll small portions of the mixture into balls
To make the tomato sauce, using the olive oil lightly brown the onions and garlic until they become soft and translucent, add the remaining powdered ingredients and cook until fragrant
Dice and add the tomatoes and cook until semi-soft
Combine the tomato sauce and stock in a large frying pan and bring to the boil
Reduce heat to medium-low and and simmer
Shallow fry the meatballs for 5-7 minutes
Add the meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cover and simmer, turning the meatballs occasionally, for 5-8 minutes or until the meatballs are just cooked through
To make the saffron rice, wash the rice then add the washed saffron and sultanas to it and cook as per rice cooker instructions

With a click of the heels you’re off to Morocco. The only thing that I was missing was a Tajine, oh well luckily the dish still turned out ok!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

An Invitation to Experience “Chillax-ation”

2011-09-29T17:30:00.000+08:00

Pasha Restaurant, Bar and Bistro

Pasha the Benchmark for “Chillax-ation”

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:
64 Aliwal Street
Singapore
199940
Tel: +6723-7117

I was recently invited to a private food tasting with the entire family to Pasha. Pasha is a new concept hotel cum bar / restaurant in the trendy Arab corner of Singapore. Happily nestled between Textile Centre and the Malay Heritage Centre it’s an ideal Oasis for the weary explorer looking to chillax!

Pasha: Look for the white building

Aside from we human visitors a special invitation was issued to a VID (Very Important Dog): Sarah, for the most part of the evening she was happily seated in her port-a-house, but she did take a stroll around the premises and gave her paw of approval!

Dining in or Dining out?

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Pasha is lavishly decked out in Moroccan furniture, decorations and flatware imported from Morocco, that coupled with the Moorish interior and Arabian concept exterior one feels transported to Northern Africa (and that’s even before the finger food arrives!) It’s a sensory holiday without having to leave on a jet plane. My recommendation is head there around dusk when you can see the landscape transform from that of an urban reclose to feeling like you’re out chilling with some Bedouin’s on the plain. One minor thing that I did notice was the lack of adequate lighting under the marquees; it became a little difficult to appreciate all the food that was on offer.

Alfresco rooftop drinks and mezze

At the time of visitation the restaurant hadn’t yet been opened; none the less the chef whipped up an array of dishes that are part of their mezze (selection of small dishes) offering; the equivalent to Spanish tapas.

Kebab Brochettes (Grilled Prawn) – tasty morsels of lightly marinated prawns grilled to perfection, at last count I ate 5

Halloumi Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed zucchini with flavored minced beef and halloumi cheese) – this dish everyone was commenting on and fighting for more. Moreish (pardon the pun) until the last bite, the texture of the not so creamy halloumi mixed with the seasoned mince beef and the crunchiness of the zucchini was too good to resist.

Merguez (Grilled homemade lamb sausage served with onion jam and harissa chili dip) – for those of you who fear the smell of lamb, don’t these sausages will make you a lamb lover, deliciously tender, they need to be eaten with the chili dip to help eventuate the taste.

Harissa Chicken Wings – Tunisa’s answer to the chili chicken wing? These went down like a dream, coupled with an ice cold beer (or in my case a glass of white wine): the hot smokiness and from the Harissa sauce was simply heaven!

Sardine Mariées (Grilled marinated fresh sardine) – I’m a lover of all things fish and these grilled sardines were no exception; an acquired taste for some I suppose but I loved ‘em.

Marinated Olives – I was unable (as full as I was) to stop picking at these, they were so tasty, marinated in olive oil and other herbs they just reinforce that at times the simple things in life are often the best. It’s a must have to your table when you’re chatting with your friends. That and nice glass of wine!

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to capture any pictures of the Lahm Kefta Tajine (Slow cooked beef meat balls in tomato base sauce with egg, herbs and spices). This was the most prized dish of the chili padi and myself! The beef balls were tender, juicy and bursting with flavor, the accompanying tomato sauce was simply awesome, the only thing missing from the mezze menu was the inclusion of khobz: to mop up all the delicious sauces/gravy of the dishes.

Personally I want extend my thanks and gratitude to the owners, chef and staff at Pasha for the invitation to the food tasting, it was really an enjoyable trip to North Africa both digestively and sensory! I’m sure on your official opening, this place will be the new ‘go to’ place for all!

Introduction to Dim Sum

2011-09-28T17:30:00.000+08:00

Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant

Dim Sum Buffet at Wan Hao

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:
320 Orchard Road
3F Marriott Hotel, Singapore
Tel: +65 6831 4615

Question, where do you take a chef to eat when you’ve run out of ideas? Why not dim sum! In our attempt to bring to light the concept of Dim Sum (a Chinese dish of small steamed or fried savory dumplings containing various fillings, served as a snack or main course) we sought about a venue; after several failed attempts to find somewhere due to our last minute-ness we were finally able to make it to Wan Hao at the Marriott.

A quaint little place tucked away on the third floor of the hotel, I would have to say it’s a hidden gem. We were lucky enough to make at a time when they were having their dim sum buffet promotion of SGD36++ per person; I’d advise you to call and check with the restaurant whether this promotion is still valid.

Settling in.. Let the eating begin!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Firstly I must say the service at Wan Hao is quite good, the staff were quite knowledgeable with what food was coming to the table and our tea cups were filled (on most occasions) to the brim! Sadly it took quite a while for us to have our first order delivered; unlike the traditional dim sum houses the food is not carted around via trolley, so you have to order in batches. While we were waiting we were desperately trying not to munch on the pre food-food but we couldn’t resist.

Spinach and wolf berry soup - Our opening bowl of was nothing short of tasty! But not to be distracted from the main event my eyes were solely focused on the Dim Sum menu proper:

The Dim Sum Menu

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Pages and pages of delicious treats; some of which I will cover here in this posting, but due to stomach-austerity measures there were only so many items I was able to consume within the stipulated dim sum window.

Siew Yok & Jellyfish with Garlic and Cucumber - Each were seasoned and cooked to perfection. The roasted pork was succulent crunch and juicy, while the jelly fish was mildly firm and springy.

Har Gau (蝦餃)– shrimps encased in some glutinous rice flower and steamed, a dim sum favorite, though the skin was a tad thick the contents were still very flavorful and juicy!

Shumai (燒賣) – the other 1/2 to the ubiquitous in hargow-sieu mai (蝦餃燒賣) dim sum speak, though looking tasty this disappointed slightly; perhaps cause it was the chicken (instead of the pork) version wrapped in lye water dough. It was a tad too dry for my liking; this despite eating it straight from the steamer.

Deep Fried Shredded-filo Dough filled with Scallops, Chinese Celery & Crabmeat – this and the coffee pork ribs were my favorite dishes of the day, I just loved the texture of the filo-dough and the flavors of the seafood!

Carrot Cake (蘿蔔糕) – I usually love eating my carrot cake; mashed up daikon mixed with bits of Chinese sausage and dried shrimp but this was overly salty, I ended up having to dose it with chili sauce. Major disappointment.

Minced Garlic Cuttlefish – This was cooked well. You can either undercook the cuttlefish leaving it rather raw and mushy or over cook it leaving it tasting like tough leather but this was done well, coupled with the nice flavoring of garlic it was something I enjoyed eating.

Char Siew Pau (叉燒包)– BBQ pork in a little white bun, yes there is a God! I love eating these little parcels of goodness, however there’s a fine balance between an overly thick ‘skin’. Thankfully the dough for this pau was light, fluffy and was proportionate to the marinated BBQ pork.

Custard Egg Bun (奶皇包) – Not really a fan of this, I’m more a fan of the Western styled custard filled donut. It was still nicely prepared, the dough quite light and fluffy and the custard was nice and smooth.

Phoenix Claws (鳳爪) – Braised chicken feet, what could be better? These gelatin and skin filled morsels are best eaten hot. Not for the faint hearted though! This place has one of the best chickens feet that I’ve had in Singapore, the skin was literally falling off the bone and it was superbly seasoned!

Beancurd Stuffed with Shrimp – Deep fried pockets of goodness, I do recall eating two plates of these goodies!

Deep-Fried Chicken with Shrimp Paste (虾酱鸡)- The people in the west have Texas wings, here in the east we’ve got prawn paste coated fried wings; a nicely salted crunchy skin / batter that holds in the moisture of the wings nicely. I have to say I’ve tried better else where but it was still rather tasty.

Coffee Pork Spare Ribs (咖啡排骨) – I’ve always been fascinated with this dish, and it inspired me (after eating it here) to make it see Coffee Anyone? The ribs here were deliciously tender, though I’d of liked a stronger taste of coffee, but hey that’s just me!

Steamed Duck with Ginger – Sorry but this dish was a total let down, the duck sadly was too tough and too dry; I only ended up eating 1 piece

Black Sesame Paste (芝麻糊) – This desert was another highlight of the days eating. Not too thick yet not too runny the texture and consistency of this black paste was lovely. As full as I was from all the food I ate.. I still managed to polish off one of these bowls.

Mussel Madness

2011-09-21T16:23:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Beer Steamed Green Mussels with Fries and Squid Salad

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Upon a recent discovery to my local neighborhood shops I chanced upon a place that sells quite a good range of live seafood; yes you heard live seafood for sale just around the corner. So it was off the Sheng Siong market I went, and what I came back with was an entire kilo of fresh, live green local mussels; slightly smaller than what I used to get back home in Sydney they’re still a nice little treat to eat!

With a bag of mussels in hand it was back home to try and make my version of Brussels Sprouts “A LA BIERRE BLANCHE (Hoegaarden beer, butter, celery, onion, coriander)”.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 kg mussels, bearded and scrubbed
4 shallots (eschalots), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 sticks of leek
500 ml of Hoegaarden beer
2 tablespoons of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
150g salted butter, chopped into dice
extra finely chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over a high heat until very hot. Add the oil, mussels, shallots, garlic, thyme, leek and bay leaves and toss quickly.
Add the beer, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mussels begin to open. Add the parsley and toss through
Heat a medium saucepan over a high heat. Strain the liquid from the mussels into the saucepan. Return the mussels, discarding any that have not opened, to the large saucepan, cover, and keep warm
Bring the mussel liquid to the boil for 1 minute, add the butter and whisk until the butter has melted
Place the mussels in a large serving bowl, pour over the butter sauce, sprinkle over parsley, and serve immediately

To accompany the mussels I used mom’s Philips Air Fryer (keeping with the Dutch theme of course) to cook up some frozen crinkle cut fries; they go awesomely well to mop up all the beer-butter gravy, and some squid salad to round of the evenings menu.

Knuckle Sandwich

2011-09-16T11:24:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Crispy Pork Knuckle with Apple Sauce

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Nothing beats a roasted pork knuckle. The crackling of the skin as you cut through it with a knife, the aroma of the caraway seeds roasting away and the melt in your mouth succulent and juicy meat when you put it in your mouth. I got inspired to make this after watching a German episode on SBS televisions “Food Safari” (though I have to admit, I did alter the recipe slightly.. as you do of course)

Ingredients

1 kg pork hocks (2 portions)
2 tablespoons of salt
Garlic
Oil
Caraway seeds
Red Wine
3 Granny Smith apples
1 large white onion

Directions

Clean and ensure there are no hair follicles on the pork knuckle
In a bowl place pork knuckle and red wine, cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 12 hours
Finely chop garlic and add oil. Leave for 30 minutes to infuse flavor
Remove pork from wine and pat dry. Salt pork and coat with garlic oil and a handful of caraway seeds
Slice onion and Granny Smith apples and place in a baking tray
Place pork in tray and add approximately 2cm of water
Bake for 2 hours at 180 degrees Celsius

To make the apple sauce that accompanies the pork knuckle here’s the recipe. Do note that I ‘recycled’ the apples and the stock from the baking tray used to roast the pork knuckle.

Ingredients

1kg granny smith apples, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
185ml (3/4 cup) apple juice or water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice

Directions

Combine the apple, sugar, apple juice or water, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks and mixed spice in a large saucepan over low heat
Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves
Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the apple is soft
Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and discard. Set aside, uncovered, for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Transfer apple mixture to the jug of a blender or the bowl of a food processor and process until pureed.
Place in a clean saucepan and stir over low heat until heated through

Nothing goes better with pork knuckle than mash potato and sauerkraut; and of course you have to wash it down with some German lager!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

Kopi-oooooo, no it’s not the Fun Pack Song

2011-09-07T00:02:00.004+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

Kopi Luwak Ice Cream

They say that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When my friend gave me a small quantity of the most expensive coffee in the world (kopi luwak – civet cat poo coffee) well you make yourself a cuppa! But what to do with the still flavorful used coffee powder? Why make kopi luwak ice cream dear Watson!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 table spoons of used kopi luwak
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon finely ground coffee (press grinds through a fine mesh sieve)

Directions

Heat the milk, sugar, coffee powder, salt, and 1/2 cup of the cream until it is quite warm and steamy, but not boiling. Once the mixture is warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set on ice over a larger bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside
Reheat the milk and coffee mixture, on medium heat, until again hot and steamy (not boiling!). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the heated milk and coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof, flat-bottomed spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take about 10 minutes.
Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Mix in the vanilla, and stir until cool
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If you can stomach the fact that you’re eating twice processed coffee beans; once by the civet cat and then the second time by man it’s a tasty tub of coffee. The best thing about kopi luwak when you drink it (and eat it) is that there is no bitter aftertaste that coffee tends to impart on the palette, I left the coffee powder in with the mixture for some added bite and texture. You can always remove if you so wish.
Bon Appétit – Sidney

Coffee Anyone?

2011-09-02T17:17:00.003+08:00

@Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

One thing I love ordering at dim sum (if it is available) are the coffee cooked pork ribs. “Pork ribs cooked with coffee?” I hear you say, yes that’s right the bitter taste of coffee infused with the sweet tasting meat of pork, it just works!

Here’s the recipe for the coffee pork ribs. I think the next time I cook it I’ll try leaving the ribs long and uncut and also perhaps try BBQing them!

Ingredients

1 cup strong coffee
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 egg white
1 head garlic, minced
3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup white or shaoxing wine
1/2 kg pork ribs (preferably with some fat)
2 tablespoon oil
Pinch of toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except pork and oil, to form marinade
Marinate pork overnight, turning every six hours
In a large wok, heat oil
Take the pork out of the marinade
Fry pork till cooked. Add some marinade for sauce
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds

.. Cooking in Progress

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Aside from the coffee pork ribs, I also made steamed egg (sadly it was an epic fail on my part) and some stir fried beans with prawn floss (which I learnt from the Chilli Padi).

Prawn Floss with Beans

Coupled with a bowl of steamed rice and well that’s my little meal of Chinese for the nite
Bon Appétit – Sidney

Soft Egg Pillow

2011-09-02T00:00:00.002+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

Berry Soufflé

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

When you hear the word ‘soufflé’, one other word immediately comes to mind ‘difficult’, doing just enough to ensure you’ve got all the air in the mixture, then ensuring you’ve got the right temperature and cooking time to make sure that the soufflé cooks thoroughly and that it rises!

Reach for the sky!

After two previous failed attempts at making this (to my standard anyways) I watched a “master class” episode where chef Gary Meghian demonstrated and cooked his rendition of a rhubarb and blackberry crumble soufflé. I’ve adopted the basic recipe here (you can download the original from the Australian MasterChef website).

Ingredients

150g caster sugar,plus extra for sprinkling
150g fresh or thawed frozen blackberries
150g fresh or thawed frozen strawberries
½ lemon, zest finely grated
1 table spoon corn flour mixed with
1 tea spoon water
4 egg whites

Directions

Pre heat oven to 180°C
Place strawberries in a saucepan with 75g of the caster sugar and ¼ cup water. Cover and place over medium heat and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened
Add blackberries and lemon zest and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes until softened
Add ½ of the corn flour mixture and stir for 3-4 minutes until thickened, then cook for a further minute to cook out the corn flour
Set aside in a bowl to cool to room temperature for at least 5 minutes
Grease soufflé moulds with remaining butter that has been slightly softened. Butter base and sides with a pastry brush
Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set the butter, then repeat the process- for the second buttering, be a bit more generous with the butter. Sprinkle sugar into each mould and roll ramekin
Place egg whites in a large, clean, dry bowl with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar and beat with a hand beater on high until soft peaks
Gradually sprinkle in the remaining sugar and beat for about30seconds- 1 minute until you have shiny, soft peaks
Mix an equal amount of beaten egg white with cooled fruit puree until combined, then add the same amount of egg white again and fold through gently, turning the bowl, then lifting and folding the mixture to keep as much air in the mixture as possible
Spoon into buttered, sugared moulds until the moulds are full, then run your thumb around the very inside of the rim so you have a clean rim
Bake for6-7 minutes until risen about 2-3cm above the rim

Soufflé Heaven!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Bon Appétit – Sidney

Chef Ivy & Co

2011-08-29T01:09:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

Chef Ivy!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

“I love desserts, I love cooking.. can you show me how it’s done?” Those were the questions posed to me by a friend of mine a month back, with the promise of having some of the recipes I’ve cooked before (and published here): Chicken Cordon Bleu and the Chocolate Fondant to be our lunch for the day I decided to let Ivy loose in the kitchen.

Prior to the cooking however, we set about sourcing the ingredients. Spending nearly every second day visiting the supermarket or wet market one tends to take the location of things as second nature; when visiting said establishments with people who don’t frequent such places you’re often seen in a slightly different light, so a mental note for those of you shopping; sometimes you’ve gotta take the time to help those who don’t regularly shop and help educate them on the variances of certain ingredients in the store.

With the groceries done it came time to prep! Ivy and my new friend Garbor got down in the kitchen. After a quick explanation of how best to slice and dice the ingredients, the chicken cordon bleu was ready in a flash and we were all set to get a frying!

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Homemade Greens

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Once the chicken was fried and the salad was made, all that was left was to sit down and savor our delicious lunch! Well done Ivy.. told you cooking was easy peasy!

With the main out of the way there was a small question as to dessert. The dessert that Ivy wanted to make was a chocolate fondant; despite her initial thought that it would be difficult she managed to soldier on and well all that I can say is that the result speak more than what I can write here.

Chocolate Fondant

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Well done Ivy, knew you’d be able to cook like a pro. It’s just a reminder to all of us out there that cooking should always be ‘fun’ if you don’t enjoy your time in the kitchen it will be reflected in the food that you dish out. You don’t have to be a seasoned pro to produce good and tasty food, you just need the passion and the heart to dare to dream to try something new!

Sidney

Meatball Maddness

2011-08-28T16:44:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

While browsing through my recipe books I stumbled upon a recipe for a Greek rendition of meatballs: Yiouvarlakia in Avgolemono Sauce (which basically translates into Meatballs in a Lemon-Egg sauce) and I thought to myself “a lemon-egg sauce? I wonder how that would taste"!”, so off I went to the kitchen to give it a try!

So here is my attempt at the Yiouvarlakia in Avgolemono Sauce recipe that I found in the June 2011 edition of Epicure magazine.

Ingredients – Yiouvarlakia (meatballs)

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 grated onion
300g minced beef
3 tablespoons of uncooked long grain rice
2-3 sprigs of chopped dill
1 egg
Salt and Pepper
700ml Chicken stock

Directions – Yiouvarlakia

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste
Using your hands or a small ice cream scoop mould meatballs
Heat chicken stock in a pot, once simmering add meatballs, cover and allow to simmer
Once meatballs start to float they are cooked, sift liquid and removed meatballs

Ingredients – Avgolemono

2 eggs
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Directions – Avgolemono

Using a whisk, beat eggs and lemon until frothy
Ladle in meatball sauce into the egg-lemon mixture to temper (this gently heat egg yolks before adding to a hot sauce by adding a small bit of the sauce, this technique prevents curdling)
Heat on very low heat until the sauce thickens
Add meatballs

And hey presto you’re done! You can dress up the meatball soup with a few additional sprigs of dill!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: Epicure, Greek Meatballs, Yiouvarlakia, Avgolemono

What a Nice Rack!

2011-08-25T18:21:00.000+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

Rosemary-Pesto Lamb Rack

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

What do you do when you’ve got an ample supply of Rosemary (from your own little spice garden) and a rack of lamb sitting in the freezer? Why not try a pesto marinade?

Having seen pictures of basil pesto recipes from a variety of sources I thought why not give a rosemary pesto on lamb a try; it should work right? The fresh piney scent goes really well with a roasted lamb shoulder so why not give this a try. Cooking I find is more about experimenting with things and seeing how far you can try pushing flavors and textures. So it was off to the kitchen I went to give this recipe a try.

Ingredients

1/2 cup parsley leaves and stems
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary plus rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
500g Frenched rack of lamb

Directions

Seared and Ready for Roasting

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 200°c
Place parsley, chopped rosemary, grated Parmesan cheese and garlic in a food processor
Process to coarse paste. With machine running, gradually add olive oil
Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear the lamb on both sides 2-3 minutes*
Remove lamb from the pan and spread all pesto over rounded side of lamb
Place back in cast iron pan (or baking tray) and roast in the oven for 5 minutes
Reduce oven temperature to 180°C and roast to desired doneness, about 5 minutes longer for medium-rare
Cut lamb between bones into chops

*step is optional. If you are omitting this step add an additional 5 minutes to steps 7 & 8

Lamb with Carrot Quenelles

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

In addition to the lamb I oven roasted some South African pears and made carrot puree, let me know if you want the recipe for the carrot.

Bon Appétit – Sidney

A Visit to the Queen

2011-08-24T18:39:00.001+08:00

Antoinette – Penhas Road

Antoinette Cafe

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:

30 Penhas Road, Singapore

Tel: +65 6293 3121

Something’s been missing in my culinary life for the past few months, some would say it’s a craze (much like the bubble tea, pork floss and coffee bun fads) but I’ve always been in the hunt of the ideal macaron (and by the way before you correct me on the spelling “macaroon” is the coconut variant). I use to love the macrons at Canele but when their head chef left so did (sad to say) the standard of their macarons and desserts!

Can’t Keep a Pastry Chef Down!

Enter stage left: Antoinette, a café/restaurant set up by chef Pang from the Les Amis group. I’m happy to say he’s brought with him the taste and standard that I have been missing of late. So with my pastry chef friend Sebastien, chef Bansani and the chili padi in tow so began our descent down the rabbit hole!

Eats!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

The interior is a welcome change to ‘cafes’ here in Singapore. All the furniture is well spaced; no overcrowding, the furniture and fixtures are clean and elegant accentuating the Bourgeois nature of their cakes and pastries. The set up and display is rather reminiscent of what they have at Canelé their desserts too draw many parallels to what you can find there; but hey what do you expect if the formula for success works why try to change it? The only real differentiating factor visually are their boxes

I’d tried their macarons on a previous occasion, they were the best (in my opinion) that you can get currently in Singapore; though funnily enough the macaron craze has all but died here now, but it hasn’t stopped me!

Verseille

All lovers of chocolate please fall in line! This mean desert is chocolate and nothing but, rich and texture filled it symbolizes all things good in the world!

Tarte café Caramel

This take on a caramel tart was my favorite of the day. The sweet pastry was nice and firm, yet still crumbly, while the caramel mouse with just a hint of coffee was awesome!

Mont Blanc

The mont blanc looked promising but it failed to deliver. I found the texture and the taste of this dish more hit and miss than pulling me back for more!

Antoinette

This was another beautiful creation; much like the former queen of France herself. It’s a cake comprised of milk chocolate mousse infused with earl grey, earl grey tea crumble, chocolate biscuit, dark chocolate earl grey cream, and raspberry, it was a shame to sink my fork into it, but when duty calls

Saint Honore L'amour

Profiteroles swimming in rose flavored cream was divine, topped with a sugared rose petal, a tad bit girly for my liking but I’m willing to look over that for the taste

Religiuese Caramel fluer de sel

According to my friend Sebastien the ‘religiuese’ is actually modeled after a nun, and after taking a closer look.. low and behold he was right. Who’d of thought religion would inspire desserts! Oh by the way, it tasted awesome!

Le Royale

What do you get when you add chocolate, nuts and praline together? Chocolatey nutty goodness! This cake was so moreish I was tempted not to share, everything just melted and swam in your mouth!

Antoinette is the place if you want to go to taste and sample good desserts and pastries in a not too cluttered environment. It’s a place where you come and spend a lazy afternoon in the company of good friends (and a pastry) sitting and watching the world go by. For those of you who like the convenience of the city, they have opened up their second branch at the Mandarin Gallery @ Orchard. Let’s hope that they don’t go the way of Canele too soon!

google Tags: Food, eating, reviews, Antoinette, Singapore

The First Joël..

2011-08-23T17:35:00.001+08:00

L’Atelier Joël Rubuchon, Resorts World Sentosa

L’Atelier Joël Robuchon

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:

8 Sentosa Gateway

Hotel Michael Level 1, Resorts World Sentosa,

6577 7888

It’s not every day that you get a call from one of your good friends with an invitation to dine at an acclaimed Michelin Star restaurateur's Singapore rendition of: L’Atelier Joël Robuchon. Having previously dined at a restaurant with food prepared by a Michelin star chef, I knew what to expect: clean tasting, beautifully presented food with a respect for ingredients. It was something that I used as my bench mark for the evenings dining, I honestly couldn’t wait!

The Entrance – Welcome!

The entrance to the restaurant is an impressive sight in itself! Walking through the door we were greeted by our maitre d' who lead us through the ‘casual’ dining area of the restaurant; as a matter of fact L’Atelier is divided into to restaurants the casual and full service restaurants.

L’ Interior

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

The interior of the restaurant remains consistent with L’Atelier’s around the world; the signature black and red décor and the synonymous open concept kitchen ensure a standard ‘familiarity’ no matter which L’Atelier restaurant you visit in different parts of the world. We were seated at the counter, though I thought it more conducive to sit at a table and chit chat; perhaps if it were just two people dining the counter made more sense.

Bread, bread, bread!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

A lot can be said of an eating establishment based on the bread that they serve. I have to say I was very impressed with the wide variety of bread, just a note here to those of you who love butter with your bread, you’ve got to ask your waiter for the butter as they don’t usually serve it with the bread basket (oh and it’s unsalted butter)

Amuse Bouche - Foie Gras Custard with Red Porto wine and Parmesan Foam

The amuse bouche was divine; all the lovely sweet tasting goodness of foie gras in a custard with a little dash of the tart wine which was then balanced out by the creamy saltiness of foam! I could have eaten a dozen of these and still not be sick!

Le Vitello Tonato – Veal Carpaccio Topped with a Tuna Sauce

This dish was delicious, the mild flavor of the veal coupled with the tuna sauce was soft and silky. I was too engrossed with eating this that I forgot to add these delectable morsels to the lettuce hearts!

L’Hamachi – Yellowtail Tuna Tartar with Spicy Tomato Sauce

I absolutely loved the tomato sauce, it was so nice, refreshing and complemented the tuna so well each bite left my mouth refreshed and wanting more.

Les Encornets – Squid and Artichokes Fried with Iberian Flavors

Cooking a squid is a delicate task; undercook the squid and it’s semi slimy, overcook it and you get yourself rubber bullets. Luckily the squid here was cooked to perfection, coupled with the smooth texture of the artichokes and the saltiness of the Iberian cubes I was in a happy place

Le Cochon De Lait – Milk Fed Pig with Braised Green Cabbage and Fresh Ginger

Mmmmm milk fed pork! What’s the difference I hear you ask? Well I don’t know if it was just me but the dish again seemed very ‘clean’ in that eating the pork it was well seasoned yet not overpowering on the palette, there wasn’t too much of the pork taste and the meat itself was smoother and sweeter, if that makes sense? Coupled with the crispy fried pieces of ginger and the soft creamy mash it was absolutely delicious!

La Sphere – Caribbean, Hazelnut Dacquoise, Thin Orizaba Chocolate Leaves (before)

Have you ever had anything on your plate that looked just so nice that you avoid eating cause you don’t want to ruin it? La Sphere was a thing of beauty; a pristine chocolate ball sitting atop halved raspberries..

La Sphere – Caribbean, Hazelnut Dacquoise, Thin Orizaba Chocolate Leaves (after)

Pour over it a warm pot of raspberry compote (yes I really did it) and you get a warm cold chocolatety melted ball of yumminess! After reluctantly sharing some of it with my friends I ate the remainder of my desert in gleeful silence!

Aside from the amuse bouche and the desert (which were really way over the top) I kind of expected a little more flare or ‘specialness’ from the other dishes; perhaps I was expecting too much? But hey this is just my opinion / my review. I do highly recommend you going there to try the food, the excellent service and the ambiance for yourself. It was a fantastic experience; thankful most for the company that evening!

google Tags: L'Atelier, Sentosa, Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa, Michelin Star

Toys for the Boy

2011-08-16T01:45:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

A Boy and His Toys!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

What do you get when you mix the creative imagination of a Chili Padi, the internet and cheaper world wide shipping options? Two wonderful birthday surprises!

First up was something I didn’t ever know existed (but I’m glad it does). My passion for cooking beer can chicken often raises an eye-brow. You’re basically baking an ‘unclean’ tin can that is in direct contact with the chicken, who knows whether the paint from the can is leeching into the flesh.

So comes the Rösle Chicken Roaster; as the picture suggests there is a tubular centre where you can place your seasoned beer which you then insert into the rear cavity of the chicken to cook your pretty little bird up-right. The addition of the removable handle that facilitates easy insertion/removal from your BBQ or oven.

I really can’t wait to give this little puppy a try on some chicken in the not too distant future; anyone care to come and try?

Now do you ever remember watching some of those westerns where you see those cowboys ‘branding’ live cattle? Well have you ever fancied branding your own piece of meat (dead already of course)? Well that’s exactly what I can do now thanks to the Chili Padi.

It came in a UPS box.. when I opened it up, surprise would be an understatement! Inside the parcel came a personalized chopping board, the branding iron itself and a branding iron holder. All ‘branded’ with the actual branding iron that was provided.

Using this should be a simple affair.. heat up the branding iron until it’s red hot then “psssst” apply it to the raw cut of meat.. I’m oh so looking forward to trying this puppy out at my next BBQ! Thanks again Chili Padi for the wonderful presents!

google Tags: Rösle, Chicken Roaster, Steak, Branding Iron

I Still Call Australia ‘Home’

2011-08-14T01:52:00.001+08:00

Triple Three, Mandarin Orchard, Singapore

Aussie Fiesta @ 333

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:

333 Orchard Road

Singapore 238867

Tel: 6831 – 6288 / 71

I love my meat! I love meat from Australia even more! I wouldn’t really say I’m a meat connoisseur or an authority on all things meat but I just find that meat from down under tastes so much better; its texture, the way it holds it flavor and oh the flavor!

When mom and dad invited the Chili Padi and I out for an Australian Fiesta @ Triple Three Mandarin Orchard I started salivating! During the promotion there was a showcase of meats and other Aussie dishes, such as the Lamington – a jam and cream filled chocolate sponge dipped in chocolate and rolled in chocolate, crocodile, kangaroo meat, and some Aussie oysters!

First up were the Aussie Oysters, smaller than the northern hemisphere counter parts, what they lack in size they make up for in their sweet creamy and succulent taste!

Next up on the menu was Australian lamb and strip loin steak with some small carrots and black pepper gravy. Seared on a hot skillet, marinated with salt and pepper (and a touch of butter), perfectly cooked under a cloche!

Prawn wrapped in potato with grilled asparagus. I saw something similar to this on MasterChef Australia; strands of potato wrapped around a prawn then deep fried. How much better can you get than that?

Sadly by the time we went around to the kangaroo, there wasn’t much left.. but hey wait I thought this was a buffet? Apparently due to the kangaroo being an acquired taste the restaurant only orders a limited quantity, sorry to say but if you mentioned that this is one of your showcase meats during your buffet promotion you should jolly well ensure that you have enough to go around. It was a shame actually as the meat was cooked perfectly and I wanted to go back for more!

Last but not least the perfect 4x4cm slice of heaven. I miss being able to pop down to the shops for a few slices of these. They’re too few and hard to come by here in Singapore. While as delicious was the temptation to grab a few plates of this, the sponges of the lamingtons were too hard to what I’d grown up with (that and the fact they didn’t conform to the 4x4cm dimensions) okay I’m being picky!

Overall not too bad a buffet but for those of us who grew up in Oz a little bit of a disappointment.

google Tags: Buffet, Singapore, Mandarin Orchard, Australian Cooking, Kangaroo, Steak, Lamington

Mystery Box Challenge

2011-08-11T17:09:00.001+08:00

@ Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whateva

Sin Ming Mystery Box Challenge!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

What does one do when presented with the challenge of cooking dinner for 3 with nothing more than what ingredients (that you have no clue of what you have) in the pantry and the fridge? Why give yourself a mystery box challenge. Just for a little more effect; I had only 60 minutes to get everything done before I was due to play tennis.

I ended up making a hodge-podge pizza for the Chili Padi and Chef Sebastien from the following ingredients laying around the fridge freezer:

Pulled pork
Pablano & Coke sauce
Vegetable ingredients from our Saturday BBQ

Mushroom
Cherry tomato
Capsicum
Eggplant

Parmesan and some Dutch Cheese
Flour
Salt
Water
Yeast

I made up a fairly basic pizza dough using plain flour, yeast, salt and water, here’s the recipe below:

Pizza Dough Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
750ml warm water
250g flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt

Directions

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast on the warm water and stir to dissolve it. Set aside until the yeast starts forming bubbles in about 5 minutes
Sift the flour. Pour the flour into a large bowl or on a work surface. Mold the flour in a mound shape with a hole in the center
Add the yeast, olive oil and salt
Using the dough hook on your mixer, mix until all the ingredients have been incorporated
Dust bench and remove dough from bowl to bench
Knead the dough briefly with your hands pushing and folding. Knead just long enough for the dough to take in a little more flour, and until it no longer sticks to your hands
Transfer dough back to a clean bowl and lightly coat the dough with olive oil to prevent it from drying out
Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth, and set the bowl aside for approximately 1½ – 2 hours* until the dough doubles in volume. The time required for rising will depend on the strength of the yeast and the temperature of the room *here I cheated cause I was in a rush to get out of the house
When the dough is double its original size, punch it down to eliminate the air bubbles
Shape and roll your pizza dough to your required size and thickness

Pizza Assembly

Spread your sauce on the base of your pizza (I usually leave 1 cm of un-sauced dough on the crust)
Distribute pulled pork liberally across the pizza base
Sprinkle vegetables throughout
Grate and cover the pizza with cheese and freshly ground pepper

Cooking

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
Cook pizza for 15 – 20 minutes
Remove and eat hot

Bon Appétit – Sidney

Stark Reality

2011-08-05T10:12:00.001+08:00

E&O and AFC’s Next Celebrity Chef Contest

Those of you out there who love cooking reality shows like MasterChef or Chopped raise your hands! Have you ever wondered whether you’d be able to handle the demands of being a contestant on such a show? Well for me this week involved just that.

I was fortunate enough to be invited along to partake in the Singapore leg of the E&O / AFC Next Celebrity Chef contest. What the heck is that you may ask? Well it’s a competition open to chefs and wannabe chefs/cooks (me!) to vie for the coveted role of “Celebrity Chef”; the next Anthony Bourdain, chef Wan etc. it is the opportunity for someone to pop out of obscurity and land a job in the big time, a one year contract with E&O and a cooking show on the AFC (Asian Food Channel).

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so with leave applied from work I headed on down to the AFC studio @ Orchard Central (with a very sleepy yet supportive Chili Padi) at 8:30am. When I got there I was in a state of panic; from those that were there early I deduced that 80% of them where chefs! Chefs in that they’re either in some sort of cooking school, have graduated from cooking school and are working in the F&B industry or have private cooking schools of their own.. and here I was a simple self-taught home cook trying to play in the same sandbox as the big boys! My day was not looking good.

Registration – When it came time to actually register they were not able to find my name on the registration list, finally managed to register (mug shot taken); bad sign no. 1

Group Allocation – Because there was such a large turn out (large relative to Singapore) we were divided into groups of 6. I was ‘lucky’ enough to be placed in group no. 4; bad sign no. 2

Hair and Makeup – Relatively simple affair, we were shipped downstairs for a touch of make up and a quick demo of the cook top we were going to be using for the days audition. What? I have to cook.. TODAY.. *mild panic*

The Cook Off (Part I) – Now the time of reckoning. We were shuffled in line and entered the studio, the task at hand, to make the simplest of things, the humble omelette! I had so many issues trying to get my induction cook top working. At the end of the allotted 5 minutes all I had to serve was semi cooked egg; bad sign no. 3 Luckily though because I technically didn’t cook anything I was able to come back and try again later! Apparently I wasn’t the only contestant to have problems with the same induction cooktop; bad sign no. 4

After waiting a few hours ‘twas time to try again

The Cook Off (Part II) – Having been given a 2nd chance I approached the cook off the same measured way; get the pan up to heat, get the butter melted, whisk some milk into the eggs, salt and add cheese, throw the egg into the pan and fry for about 2 minutes. Throw in some pepper and chicken bacon; meanwhile get the plate ready! Dollop a teaspoon of ketchup then add a streak (sorry folks we weren’t able to take any photos) then back to the egg. Fold over the egg, throw a little more butter into the pan and sauté some finely sliced white button mushrooms. Plate the omelette add the buttery mushrooms to the top of the egg and add a final garnish of parsley. Mind you all this was done with Chef Wan and Chef Michael Saxon hovering about chit chatting with you. When it was all done I was relatively happy with what I put up; though I knew my eggs were slightly over cooked. We were ushered out of the studio and made to wait while the judges deliberated our fate.

The Interview – Those who’s cooking skills and end product deemed above average (or as chef Wan put it, “the exercise was to determine who can cook and who can ‘cook’!”) were asked to stay back for a 1:1 interview. JOY! I was one of the few who were asked to say back. The interview was way easier than having to cook in front of the chefs. I learnt that based on the results of your cooking skills and how well you faired from the interview determined whether you’d be called back by the team.

From a pool of 100 hopefuls approximately 50 had passed the cooking round and from that 50 a total of 17 people would be asked to be called back.

We left Orchard Central in high spirits; it was a tiring day, we’d been there from 8:30am – 3:30pm, no lunch just a light brunch. Big kudos to the Chili Padi for being there to help calm the nerves and the occasional shout of encouragement!

The Call-Back – Quicker than you can say “Jiminy Cricket” I got at call saying they wanted me back in the studio for some announcement.. I’d actually made the top 17!

The Announcement – All lined up with the other 16 hopefuls, were positioned like a firing line. Chefs Wan and Saxon prance to and fro gazing upon us, my only reaction was a ‘deer in headlights’ look. Sadly this is where my journey ended. I was outgunned by I can only guess more qualified chefs! There were others too who didn’t make the cut, some of them cried after leaving the room, the friends that I had made that day from the AFC staff sought to comfort them, losing is never easy especially when you come pretty far.

Looking back I’ve been given quite a lot of encouraging words from my friends “hey you’re not a trained chef, yet you managed to make it that far”. I left the studios with the Chili Padi and decided to drown my sorrows in some sinful French Bistro food. I gained more than I lost; I had actually done quite well, I had survived the roving cameras and the pressure of cooking to a time limit. I think I could actually get use to this reality show thing!

google Tags: cooking, reality show, Asian Food Channel, Chef Wan, Chef Michael Saxon

Prawn Aioli

2011-08-02T17:30:00.000+08:00

Sin Ming Bakery / Cookhouse / Whatever

When I was in Bali last May Executive Chef Bansani Nawisamphan from the Ubud Hanging Gardens taught the Chili-Padi and myself a new dish at her home; since then the dish it has become one of my all time favorites to make and as most of you I am sure will love to know, it’s stupidly simple to make!

Ingredients

1/2kg Tiger Prawns (medium)
1 cup Thai sweet basil
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaf
1-2 cloves of garlic
Black pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 tea spoon soy sauce
Olive oil
Salt

Directions

Bring a pot of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of ice cold water
Quickly immerse the sweet basil in the boiling water then transfer it to the ice water (to prevent discoloration)
Roughly chop garlic and coriander leaf
Pat dry basil leaves and add to blender with garlic and coriander leaf
Add 1 teaspoon to the leaves and blend
Gradually continue to add olive oil to the leaves (while blending) until you achieve a semi solid paste, lightly season with salt and pepper
Wash and de-shell the prawns

You can freeze the shell and heads for another day to make stock

Remove the intestinal vein along the back
Lightly oil a wok and stir fry the prawns until they become 1/2 cooked
Add the aioli and mix well

Add oyster sauce and soy sauce to taste

Arrange on a plate and serve

I ate this with some oven toasted ciabatta (yeah I know, I love the stuff), prefect for scooping up all the delicious Aioli!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: Dinner, Prawn, Aioli, Thai Basil

Luxe-ing it Up!

2011-08-01T14:59:00.001+08:00

Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Who would have thought that instant noodles could be “luxe-ed up'? I found myself making some instant noodles yesterday; I needed something ‘quick and dirty’ to eat after cleaning the house, so instant noodles (while not the healthiest option) came to the fore. I looked inside the pantry and had a few options to choose from; Kimchi noodles & Tom Yum noodles. Having eaten Thai the night before I thought I’d make a trip to Korea

Instant Noodles <> Unhealthy and Bland

Now here is where things got a little strange; after watching an episode of Australian MasterChef a few days before, I was inspired to try something a little different. I took a look in the freezer and found that I had some frozen prawns and mussels, so lets’ make a seafood bisque!

Ingredients – Kimchi Ramen with Seafood Bisque

1 packet of Kimchi Ramen instant noodles
4-6 medium prawns
4-6 mussels
1 tablespoon of salted butter

Directions

Boil water with flavor sachet as per packet instructions’
Add prawn and mussels and simmer for 20-30 minutes
After 5 minutes remove two prawns and two mussels and set aside
Using a hand blender, blend soup until all pieces of prawn and mussels help form a thicker soup base
Add butter and continue to blend
If you would like a smooth bisque pass the broth through a strainer

If you would like the ‘foam’ hand blend the broth again

In a separate pot boil water and cook noodles until al dente

Rinse through with hot water (helps remove the waxy taste)

Place noodles in broth and top with remaining prawns and mussels

Kimchi Ramen with Seafood Bisque

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

And well that’s it! Not that hard at all right? So what have you tried to Luxe up recently?

Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: MasterChef, Cooking, Recipes, Fusion

Hybrid Ice Cream Sandwich / Cookie

2011-07-27T18:14:00.000+08:00

@ Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Fudgy Ice Cream Sandwich

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

I love a good sandwich, here in Singapore the ubiquitous ice cream sandwich (flavored ice cream encased in a colorful piece of sweetened bread) is the perfect solution to the sometimes stifling heat. Case in point I wanted to try my own take on the ice cream sandwich, and after finding a recipe for an ice cream sandwich: “The Real McCoy Ice Cream Sandwich” from Elizabeth Falkner I decided that it was time to head to the kitchen and get a baking!

Ingredients - Fudgy Sandwich Biscuits

1 cup bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup of flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of water

Directions - Fudgy Sandwich Biscuits

Over a double boiler melt the chocolate until smooth
Sift cocoa powder, flour and baking powder
Cream butter, brown and white sugar until light in color, add the egg and beat until combined
Add melted chocolate to butter mixture and combine
In a separate bowl mix baking soda with water then slowly incorporate to the chocolate mixture
With the mixer on slow setting incorporate the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture
Separate dough into smaller potions, flatten slightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Remove from the fridge, place on a floured tray, roll until 2cm thick and use a cookie cutter to cut cookie shaped biscuits
Place cookies on oven trays and bake for 5-10 minutes

Ingredients – Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream

1 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 cups full cream milk
1 cup of mint leaves
1/2 cup of spinach leaves (for color)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon agar agar
2 tablespoons of milk powder
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions – Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream

Blend milk, cream, mint and spinach leaves until a puree
Strain into a separate container
Pour about 1 cup of the ‘milk’ back into the blender and blend with sugar, corn syrup, salt, agar agar and milk powder until everything has been combined
Pour the remainder of the “milk” into the blender and blend for another minute
Place mixture into ice cream machine and freeze as per machine instructions
1/2 way though the freezing cycle add some chocolate buttons

Ice Cream Sandwich–In the making

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Assembly – The Ice Cream Sandwich

Take one cookie place it on a place
Add a generous scoop of ice cream (ensure it has been taken out of the freezer for a least 5 minutes)
Put the second cookie on top of the ice cream
Take the biscuit/sandwich and roll (or sprinkle) the exposed ice cream in chocolate
To finish I added a toasted marshmallow on top!

Behold–The Ice Cream Sandwich is born!

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: Ice Cream Sandwich, Mint, Elizabeth Falkner, Desert

Chicken Cordon Bleu–Reinvented

2011-07-17T09:42:00.002+08:00

Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Chicken Cordon Bleu

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

When I was but a young boy I remember my first ever trip to a “fancy” formal dinner being someone’s year 12 high school graduation in the city. Looking back there I was young and naïve being all dressed up in a penguin suit, but I still remember to this day it being the first time I was introduced to eating a tasty Chicken Cordon Bleu. Although it sounding very French the dish invented in America!

Anyways I found myself in the mood to try and recreate this dish (I’d previously cooked this here) but with a twist. Instead of placing the bacon and cheese inside a chicken breast and rolling it, I thought of mincing the chicken meat then encasing the bacon and cheese with the minced meat.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Slices Swiss/Emmental cheese
Slices cooked ham/bacon
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

Chicken Cordon Bleu–The Making of..

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Place chicken breasts into blender and puree, or until there are no more lumps of meat
Season chicken paste with salt and pepper
“Pour” three table spoons of chicken paste to a chopping board and flatten to approximately 2cm thickness to resemble a rectangle
Place cheese slice and ham slice on top of rectangle
Carefully fold over / roll the chicken paste around the bacon and cheese so it looks like a “spring roll”
Take the “spring roll” and coat it in bread crumbs
Shallow fry until golden all over or bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink

The end result it a delicious piece of evenly encased bacon/cheese to chicken meat, totally worth the extra bit of effort!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Recipe

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Durian on Ice

2011-07-12T13:23:00.001+08:00

Sin Ming Cookhouse / Bakery / Whatever

Mao Shan Wang Durian Ice Cream

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

I have to admit it, I’m getting really addicted to eating durian again! A contraband item at home I had to rely on the generosity of my mom (in law) to whip up a batch of homemade durian ice cream; and by the side indulge in a little durian feast with mom, dad and yes my dog Sarah!

We acquired our Mao Shan Wang goodies not from 717 Trading but from Combat Durian along Balestier Road. The place was crowded! I think we are nearing the end of the Durian season so there were loads of people buying and eating; basically they were getting their durian fix.

Combat–Top Quality Durians

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Combat does live up to it’s name in that the durians were of high quality. Having bought 3 Mao Shan Wang and 1 ‘sweet’ durian (and after eating numerous ‘samples’ happily given to us by the vendor we headed back for the main event.

The main reason for the durian was to make ice cream, but somewhere along the way we took a detour and we started eating some of the main ingredient.. not that anyone was complaining! with our stomachs filled to the brim, ‘twas timed to get ice cream making. So without further adieu..

Ingredients

4 to 6 segments fresh durian
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
1 cup light cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Directions

Remove the seeds from the durian. Use an electric mixer to mix the flesh into a paste. Press the paste through a fine sieve. You should have approximately 180grams of durian paste at this point. (If not, use more durian!).
Chill the durian paste until ready to use.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla essence and sugar.
Bring the milk and cream to a near boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly to thicken. Take care not to let the mixture boil, or the milk will curdle
Allow the custard to cool, add agar-agar then gradually stir in the durian paste, a tablespoon at a time
Either continue freezing, stirring several times throughout, or finish the ice cream in an ice cream maker.

After leaving the mixture to properly set in a container you’ll find yourself with a tub of fragrant, smooth silky yellow goodness! As my mom said to me the day after she ate her share “the durian ice cream is very yummy, can taste the pulp and once you start you cannot stop “. If that is not a glowing review then I don’t know what is!

Bon Appétit – Sidney

google Tags: Durian, Ice cream, dessert, Mao Shan Wang

A Trip to the Beach

2011-07-08T16:41:00.001+08:00

Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh–Porky Goodness

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:

321 Beach Road
Kampong Glam Conservation Area
Singapore
Opening Hours: 11am - 9pm

It’s been a long time since I’d last had herbal clay pot bak kut teh, the heady aroma of stewing pork ribs in a clay pot is usually reserved for when I head north of the border to Jalan Imbi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Since it has been a while since I’ve had the herbal clay pot style, I jumped at the opportunity to have it when a good friend of mine extend an invite out for lunch. So off we bounded to Beach Road to Leong Kee’s Bak Kut Teh coffee house.

Nestled in Kampong Glam conservation area you’ll find Leong Kee; a quaint old coffee shop serving clay pot bak kut teh. For those of you who are wondering what the difference is between the Singapore and Malaysia pork rib soup here’s the break down:

Country	Pork Type	Soup Type	Additional Ingredients
Singapore	Short Rib, Whole Rib	Clear, Garlic and Pepper base	None
Malaysia	Short Rib	Thicker Herbal base	Bean curd skin, Mushrooms, Chye sim. Served in a clay pot

After a short wait it finally came, a smoking hot pot of pork short rib goodness, it smelled similar to those that I have in KL, though sadly it didn’t look as good as what I usually eat up north, but beggars cannot be choosers (it is really hard to find Malaysian style bak kut teh in Singapore).

So with chopsticks in hand I began to take my portion from the clay pot. My mouth started to salivate, I think my lunch company could see I was getting excited!

The perfect condiments to Bak Kut Teh

Mmmm.. Stewed Pork

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

The soup was not quite as velvety as what I’m use to having and the contents of the clay pot a left me looking for more, but on the whole it still was rather tasty, a good detour from the pepper with pork ribs that I am used to eating here.

I finished off the meal with some stewed pork leg. This was I have to say was disappointing, there was way too much oil, despite it being a lean pork leg and the sauce was lacking sufficient soya sauce. One other little gripe that I had with the place was the service; sure it’s not a Michelin Star restaurant, but please ensure that you know what the table had ordered and what was already paid for.

google Tags: Bak Kut Teh, singapore, beach road, eating, reviews, Singapore

Oh No, More Durian

2011-07-05T00:46:00.001+08:00

The Goodwood Park Hotel

Durian Fiesta @ the Goodwood Park Hotel

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Address:

Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scotts Road, Singapore 228221
Tel: +65 6737 7411

It happens but once a year, the Goodwood Park throws open it’s doors for it’s Durian Fiesta; an endless supply of durian inspired deserts for one to eat! Since I'd been barred from eating durian at home I decided to get my durian fix here with some colleagues from work!

For SGD26.80++ you can enjoy sumptuous regulars like:

Durian Puffs

Who could ask for more.. choux pastry filled with durian and cream? Ok I have to admit that the choux pastry could have been a little less dry, but the durian more than made up for it.

Durian Mousse Cake

I didn’t really like the sponge with the durian, it kind of left the mouth a little dry and parched, a cup of nice hot black tea would have hit the spot with this slice of cake!

Durian Crepe

I was disappointed when I ate this. Sure it was freshly made, but the crepe tasted more like a pancake! It was just way too thick and it felt as though I was chewing on a tyre. The durian filling itself was yum!

Durian Pudding

This was delicious, not runny and not too thick! There were large chunks of durian in the pudding that you could sink your teeth into. Bliss!

Durian Oreo Cake

Another dish that was more a miss for me, sadly the whipped cream took over the desert, I wasn’t able to really taste and appreciate the durian.

Durian Cappuccino Cake

This was a new addition to the menu this year! And as weird as it sounds; combining durian paste with a cappuccino cream went so well together (I went back for seconds)!

All in all I had a blast, it was a good thing I played tennis prior to going for this buffet, I was well and truly stuffed!

google Tags: Durian, eating, food, Singapore, Durian Fiesta, Goodwood Park Hotel, Buffet