A Series of Kitchen Experiments

Hainanese-style Chicken (Rice and sauce recipe below)

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Today, I would like to share with you a curious method of preparing chicken that at a glance would seem like a case of food poisoning waiting to happen. But, it's been done a gazillion times before by cooks like my maternal grandmother, who is half Hainanese anyway. She got this recipe from her grandmother.

You will never say boiled chicken is boring ever again after you try this recipe. The chicken is perfectly cooked through, soft, luscious and of course, delicious to eat. This is something that my mother would even make on a regular basis for dinner because it's so easy. I am sure all of you would agree that most Chinese cuisine's preparation time is always a drag. Long and tedious. But this is an exception to that. The only catch is you would need to plan this a little bit ahead of time, about 2 hrs ahead of time if your chicken is fresh and defrosted.

I did not make the rice to go with my chicken because I didn't feel like having rice with the meal, strange as it sounds. But the recipe for the rice is below, for those of you who want to try the complete Hainanese-style Chicken Rice meal. Oh and before I forget, the chicken is usually served in room temperature.

So let's get cooking.

Hainanese-style Chicken

1 1.5kg Chicken (cooking time do not vary, this method works with even a larger chicken)
2 cloves
1/2 star anise
8 garlic cloves, crushed slightly
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 sprigs of spring onions, tips cut off and left whole
2 big slices of ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoon of salt

Enough water to cover a whole chicken in a very large pot.

Method:

Clean your chicken with running cold water. Make sure to not poke any holes in the skin.
Bring a large pot (big enough to hold your chicken) of water to boil. You need enough water to just cover over the chicken. A good way to do this is fill your pot with water with the chicken in it. Once you've got the right amount of water, take the chicken out and proceed.
Before water starts to boil, add all the ingredients in.
Once the pot starts into a rolling boil, put the chicken into the liquid slowly. The water should stop boiling when you do this. Close the lid of the pot and let it come to a boil again. When your lid starts shaking with huffs of steam angrily spouting from the corner like the picture below:

Do not open the lid, do not stir, do not shake, do nothing.

After 1.5 hours, your chicken is ready. Prepare a large sink filled with icy cold water. Lift the chicken gently into the cold water, careful to not break the skin as it is very fragile at this stage, hot out of the pot.

To serve, my grandmother usually prepares a yummy sauce filled with herbs to go with this chicken; I will too because I can't get enough of it. It goes extremely well with the chicken and with rice.

Recipe for sauce and authentic Hainanese-style rice below.

Sauce for Hainanese-style Chicken:

2 tablespoon of Oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seed
2 cloves of garlic, minced finely
2 tablespoon of shallots, minced finely
1 stalk of spring onion, chopped finely
1 sprig of parsley, chopped finely
2 tablespoon of garlic oil and golden garlic bits (minced garlic + enough oil to cover in a small bowl + microwave 2-mins till golden brown)
3 tablespoon of chicken broth (from cooking the chicken)

Method:

Mix everything together well.

Hainanese-style rice
Feel free to double or halve the recipe to feed more people.

2 cups of jasmine rice
1 tablespoon of butter
3 cloves of garlic, whole
2 stalk of spring onions, ends trimmed and kept whole
2 slices of ginger
2 Cloves
3 1/4 cups of chicken broth (from earlier)

Method:

Rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Strain the liquid as much as possible.
In a pan, melt butter and saute garlic until fragrant. Add rice and roast the rice with the butter and garlic. This will add a dimension of nuttiness to the rice when it's cooked.
When the rice turns slightly translucent while toasting, transfer it into a rice cooker and add the rest of the ingredients in until cooked.

If you don't have a rice cooker, you can also cook this in a pot. Just make sure you lower the heat to a simmer/low when the rice starts boiling. Cook for 10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and turn off the heat completely. Wait 5 minutes before serving the rice.

The left over cooking liquid from the chicken makes a good soup base to go with the meal. Add some carrots, shitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and/or other root vegetables you like to eat and it'll be a great accompaniment to the Hainanese-style Chicken Rice meal. :)

Now that is a potato.

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:39:00 +0000

This gigantic russet potato makes a mammoth amount of mashed potatoes to feed an army of 2 very hungry people and still have enough leftovers to make gnocchi!

The post about Brownies with Walnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:36:00 +0000

Dark and delicious brownies were baked at home today. Thanks to Jules from thestonesoup.com. Her brownie picture on Tastespotting tugged at my heartstrings and I knew at first sight, I had to make these brownies.

After mixing through the batter, I knew this was a recipe to keep. The batter was rich and dark, glistening with goodness. I couldn't wait for it to finish baking! And while it was baking, it was sending magical wafts of deliciousness in the air. Again, I just knew, these brownies were going to rock my socks off!

They did. *licks chocolate off fingers*

Even P was completely enamored and was commenting on how good it smelled while it was baking. After the first bite, he had another, and another. And another.

These are possibly the best brownies I have ever eaten in the whole wide world! They are so simple to make, there is no fuss about melting chocolates and what not. Just make sure you use good quality cocoa powder and butter for this recipe, you're all set to make the best ever chocolate brownie. Simplicity for the win.

The recipe is taken off Jules' blog, and she adapted this recipe off Deb of Smitten Kitchen. I used a rather tall 8-inch pie plate as my baking vessel. The only thing I did differently in the recipe was add a 2oz of rum into the batter.

Liquor + Brownies = V.V.V. Good

Brownies with Walnuts, or any kind of nuts you love to eat in a brownie

150g (5oz) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup (255g or 9oz) sugar
3/4 cup (80g or 2 7/8 oz) cocoa powder
pinch salt
1teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature please
1/2 cup (75g or 2 1/2oz) plain flour
2oz Appleton Estate Rum (optional but highly recommended)
1 cup chopped nuts, such as hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts or pecans, optional

Method:
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease your pie plate/brownie pan/etc with some butter and dust with flour. Or you can just line it with grease paper like what Jules and Deb did. Set aside until ready to use.

1. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in sugar. It's okay if all the crystals are not dissolved, you just want to wet them in the butter. Add in the cocoa powder in and mix until there are no lumps left.

2. Add eggs, vanilla extract and salt to the batter and mix thoroughly.

3. Gently fold in the flour until it is incorporated into the batter but do not over mix it. You don't want to disturbed the gluten too much. Add the nuts in and 2oz of rum.

4. Pour it into the baking vessel and spread evenly. Bake for 50 minutes. If you are using a smaller baking vessel and want a taller brownie, increase baking time and test every 10 minutes with a skewer, until the skewer comes out clean.

The brownie is really good eaten on its own. This recipe really hits the spot.

A Chinese New Year wish from our resident pet

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:25:00 +0000

Chap Chye Th'ng (Nyonya-style mix vegetable soup)

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 05:09:00 +0000

This is not your regular vegetable soup, this was my grandmother's vegetable soup. Made exclusively on Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner, among many other things. Chap Chye Th'ng or Nyonya mix vegetable soup is uniquely a Penang dish. The flavor base of this soup is made out of cabbage, jicama bean, carrots, dried cuttlefish, pork bones and fried garlic oil, which gives it an aromatic and rich flavour. My grandmother makes her homemade bak wan/ meatballs to go with this soup. She steams them separately before serving them in the soup so that the meatballs do not lose its flavor or overcooked in the pot. This soup is especially comforting to drink on a cold day in February.

Like most Nyonya cuisine, it is not the most photogenic of foods. It's extremely hard to take pictures of this soup, and to make it look at least presentable for this blog took me about a day. By the time I was done, the soup was stone cold but luckily I have more in my cast iron pot.

Preparation for this soup may take longer than the cooking time. I said "may" because it depends if you want to cut the carrots and jicama bean into nice patterns. The good thing about this vegetable soup with meatballs is that absolutely nothing goes to waste. And you'll see why.

Chap Chye Th'ng with Bak Wan (Nyonya mix vegetable soup with meatballs)

Chap Chye Th'ng:
2 lb pork bones
2 piece of dried cuttlefish, washed and steeped in hot water
2 medium sized carrots, cut into quarter inch slices
1 large jicama bean, sliced
2 onions, cut into quarters
3 cups of cabbage, cut into 2 inch squares
3 slices of ginger
1 teaspoon of whole white peppercorns
10 dried Chinese mushrooms, re-hydrated and halved
2 tablespoon of garlic oil (minced garlic + enough oil to cover in a bowl + microwaved 2mins till golden brown)
soy sauce to taste

While you're preparing your carrots and jicama bean, do not throw away excesses - keep them for the meatballs

Method:

In a large pot (with steamer attach would be extremely convenient), fill it with 8 cups of water and bring it to boil with the pork bones, dried cuttlefish, ginger slices, onions and white peppercorns. Let it cook for 30 minutes.
Add the jicama bean and mushrooms in, and cook for 15 minutes before adding the cabbage and carrots in.
Cook the soup for another 30 minutes and then stir in two tablespoons of ginger oil, lower heat to a low simmer until ready to serve.

Bak Wan (Homemade meatballs)
15 large shrimps
200grams minced pork
2 tablespoons of minced carrots
2 tablespoons of minced jicama bean
1 stalk of spring onion, chopped
3 Chinese mushrooms, re-hydrated and chopped finely
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon garlic oil + fried garlic bits
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with your finger tips.

Shape the meatballs into large two inch balls and steam them over the top of the soup pot (that comes with a steamer) for 15 minutes.
Serve it together with the soup

I remember eating just this over a bowl of rice as a kid. And while I did not appreciate the intricacy of this soup and the effort put into it, I do now. I stood at my kitchen counter for 2 hours chopping and shaping meatball. It was worth it and a most satisfying meal. :)

Szechuan Roasted Chicken with Fennel and Apple Pickle

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:02:00 +0000

Bee Yinn of RasaMalaysia.com invited me to guest post for her Chinese New Year roundup on her blog. Why, woman, I thought you'd never ask! :)

I've decided to share a roast chicken dish with her and her readers because roast chicken is a chockful of prosperity goodness to eat on Chinese New Year. This is unlike the traditional Chinese roast chicken fare, I've supped it up with some Szechuan peppers and vanilla. You're going to call me crazy but that vanilla powder I've included in my recipe gives a special savoriness to the roast chicken. It's like all the spices melded together in perfect harmony. On the side, I served my chicken dish with a fennel and apple pickle and cashew nuts.

This Szechuan Roasted Chicken is absolutely wonderful and so simple to make. I won't be going back for Chinese New Year this year but this roast chicken made me feel a bit better. I made it for my family in mind and I know they would love it as much as I know you would too. :)

Happy Chinese New Year guys! For full recipe, visit Rasa Malaysia for the full post of my Szechuan/Sichuan Roasted Chicken Recipe!

DNA Restaurant in Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:01:00 +0000

It is the honest truth when I say the only way to enjoy a restaurant is through their tasting menu.

We've been to DNA restaurant in Montreal twice (three for me) now and we are in love. In love with the food and with the ingenuity of its chef Derek Dammann and his crew. I am going to write this post in the most haphazard manner possible because I cannot remember the different courses I had (it changed the second time i was there) except for the orgasmic swing DNA's food gave me along with the most pleasant service we have had in a while. A shout out to Sebastian, who served us so well and made us feel extremely comfortable in his cute, cheeky and professional, extraordinaire demeanor. This is going to be a post that heralds the restaurant, its chef and the experience more than anything else. Pictures and description are in no particular order.

For the uninitiated, DNA actually stands for Derek and Alex; the two head honchos of the restaurant, chef and sommelier, Remus and Romulus, yin and yang and I could go on and on. Nothing to do with the human genome, thankfully. But we have yet to experience Sommelier Alex's recommendations in both our trips because we are not seasoned wine-drinkers. But we have promised ourselves to give wine-pairing a try in our next trip to the restaurant.

Many restaurants we've been to have accommodated us very well but nothing like how DNA has accommodated us, especially for P's vegetarianism. In this restaurant, we truly felt that the chef wears his passion on his sleeves and that's highly commendable. He has personally told us that his kitchen loves a challenge. And creating a 9-course tasting menu for a vegetarian is a pretty challenging feat for a chef whose stronghold is influenced by Mediterranean/Italian-style meats and seafood.

I heard about DNA a year back when it first opened its doors on Marguerite D'Youville and I am just glad that we finally decided to give it a try after reading and hearing so much good reviews.

Dining both times at DNA was a joyful experience with their 9-course tasting menu and impeccable service. I knew Chef Derek worked under Jamie Oliver before opening DNA and the JO influence were inconspicuous but definitely there. The rotolo stuffed with ricotta and butternut squash with sage butter was a familiar face. P had it as part of his tasting course and it blew him away. How much? Well, get a load of this, even though he was already full to the brim, he left nothing of the rotolo on his plate at the end of the course - ate every morsel on his plate. And I'm just skimming the surface of the 9-course vegetarian tasting menu as the selection offered to P has been nothing less than stellar. Most of the other restaurants' accommodation for P's eating habits feels like a larger portion of a side dish. In DNA, P's main course actually feels like a proper main course.

While the vegetarian course is outstanding, the non-vegetarian tasting menu was equally mind blowing. I had the pleasure of eating King Manfred's Ravioli the first and second time around and in the ravioli contained all the finest parts of the duck. Duck testicles, anyone? The gonads of a duck, along with its other bits like tongue, foie gras cooked in a meaty brown filling in a ravioli topped with crispy chicken skin. How delectable is that? I never thought I'd say I enjoyed eating duck testicles but I did. It was DELICIOUS first and second time around. I love every plate served to me especially the wild striped seabass and porchetta (in my prev tasting menu, no pic) - they were cooked to perfection - and I apologize for the lack of words to describe Chef Derek's representation of the tasting menu. I am tongue-tied, the food in general was just...divine.

If there was something I dislike at DNA, it would be the Veal Sweetbread in Agro Dolce. I wasn't too crazy about the caper sauce that accompanied it as the flavors did not jive at all. But then again, maybe sweetbread is not for me, it is definitely an acquired taste.

Dessert was amazing, chocolate pot de creme may seem like a heavy ending. It was surprisingly light but rich with chocolate. Our second dessert course varied, I had pig's blood chocolate pudding the first time, which was ...different. It wasn't bad it was just different. It felt like it was inspired by boudin or blood sausages but chocolaty. I loved how they streaked the red raspberry sauce around the pudding that it looked like blood but not in an unappealing way - it was just artistically done. The second time, I had a bay leaf panna cotta. I never thought bay leaf would flavor the panna cotta so beautifully...it was delightful! But the star of the dessert, in my opinion where the lemon tart and the pine nut tart with ginger ice cream..

We finally got to visit the kitchen and pantry that lies in the belly of the restaurant in our second visit. Cured meats hang in rows in the very same room that houses all their wines. I was surprised that there's a chef's table and a private room that seats 12 next to the kitchen. We are definitely getting a spot there next time. Sitting on the chef's table and watching Chef Derek work in the kitchen would be a great experience to have; never mind that the reason for chef's kitchen is sorta like having a cctv camera in the kitchen. Ever watchful, anticipating and serves to ultimately unnerve the kitchen staff. ;)

We've had the pleasure of meeting Chef Derek face to face, and more than once too. He's such a down-to-earth guy who just wants to share his passion in the food he creates. I hope it stays this way. One more thing that makes this restaurant different from the others is that the chef is a frequent face on the dining floor.It is refreshing to see and know that the chef is in, working in his kitchen, cooking your food unlike some restaurants where their chef is almost never around. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

DNA restaurant is definitely a restaurant that's yet-to-be-discover and Chef Derek Dammann is a chef waiting to be discovered. The food, the ambiance, the service and dare I say, the location(?) of DNA restaurant is like a ticking bomb of awesome. It's all just waiting to explode and before you know it, you're on a 2 month long waiting list for reservation.

A notable thing about DNA Restaurant: Sebastian, our gracious server, explained to us that everything in DNA is created with the environment and sustainability in mind. With that, after watching Food Inc. and watching videos of mistreated animals, I felt a lot better knowing that my piece of meat came from an animal that had the best life it could ever have before fulfilling its duty in the food chain. It makes dining at DNA Restaurant a responsible choice, in my opinion. :)

DNA Charcuterie platter - all cured in-house

Kamouraska lamb carpaccio

Chef's salad created on the fly, according to one of our servers, for the vegetarian on the table

Lovage spaghetti alla chitarra

Ravioli “al sole” - with the best parts of the duck

Pork cooked in milk until melt in your mouth tender

Duck egg with black trumpet mushrooms on polenta

DNA Restaurant
355 Marguerite D'Youville
Montréal, QC H2Y 2C4
(514) 287-3362

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Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe, my childhood memory

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:46:00 +0000

Thank god for frozen summer berries! Otherwise, there won't be any blueberry sauce on this cheesecake, not that it would make this cheesecake any less delectable. :)

I would like to share with you a cheesecake recipe from my childhood. It's a tried and proven recipe that will always be really, really good to eat - dressed up or otherwise. When I was in my early teens, I got this recipe off my aunt in Penang. It was the first time ever that my baked goods were more than just passable. It was delicious! I baked this cheesecake many times over, for parties, for neighbors' housewarming, for weekends, for the heck of it and it was always successful. I baked this cheesecake till I memorized the recipe by heart.

The original recipe for this cheesecake called for a cup of sour cream and a 125grams can of reduced cream on top of 500grams of cream cheese. Needless to say, this cheese cake is extremely rich, creamy and can make your thighs look ghastly if eaten on a daily basis. I am not someone who is bothered by the health aspect of food as long as we eat in moderation but even I thought this was a little too crazy. So over time, I've created a lighter version of this cheesecake without compromising the taste or texture.

Here's my recipe.

(Blueberry) Cheesecake Recipe from my childhood
* Note that the "blueberry" part can be exchanged with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches and/or whatever your favorite fruit compote is.

Cheesecake base:
2 cups of crushed graham cracker (I used tea biscuits this time because it was what I had, so I used less sugar because those tea biscuits are sweet)
1/2 cup of softened, room temperature unsalted butter
1/4 cup of sugar
a pinch of salt (if you're using regular butter, you don't need this pinch of salt)

Cheesecake filling:
2x 250grams Philadelphia Cream Cheese

3 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of 2% fat yoghurt

5 eggs, separate 4 egg whites into a different bowl

1 tablespoon lemon rind

1 tablespoon vanilla extract / 1 vanilla bean, scraped

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350F or 180C. Grease your 9-inch cake pan with some butter. I used a 9x6-inch tray pan.

1. Make your base first by combining all the cheesecake base ingredients together. Mix it well with your fingers until the biscuit crumbs can form a ball.

2. With that greased pan, press the biscuit crumbs on the base of the pan to form a nice base. Once that's done, let the cheesecake base chill out in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

At this point, I started with my blueberry sauce to get it cooking. Start by adding 2 cups of frozen blueberries into a small pot and 1/4 cup of sugar with juice of half a lemon. When it comes to a boil, bring it down to a simmer and let it cook for until it reduces into a shiny, thick sauce. Let it cool in the fridge until ready to use.

3. Now to make the filling; Using an electric beater or your trusty standmixer, cream the cream cheese, flour and sugar together until it all comes into a thick creamy spread. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl every now and then to ensure even creaming.

You can use a whisk and beat the cream cheese by hand but you will have to make sure the cream cheese is really soft before you do that. Otherwise, you're going to give up at this point and throw a fit on your kitchen floor like Julie Powell.

4. Add the 4 egg yolks + 1 egg, one at a time until it is evenly incorporated. Now I asked for 5 eggs, and I asked you to separate 4 eggs whites out of that. Please don't add the egg whites in here yet - you'll see why. Now you can add the yogurt, lemon zest and vanilla extract/scraped bean in and mix well.

Set this mixture aside while you whisk the egg whites.

The egg whites are an important step because they give your cheesecake a light texture. It's like how souffles work...but it won't be as fluffy as a souffle but it definitely gives a nice fluffier texture than the usual dense cheesecake. This is the *secret* behind all those raves. ;)

5. With your egg whites whisked till stiff, fold it gently into the cheese batter until it is incorporated. Don't worry if there are small lumps, they're the magic.

6. Take the cheesecake base out of the fridge and pour the filling in. IMPORTANT: Bake in a 350F for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 250F / 120F (approx) and continue baking the cheesecake for another 1 hour or until the cheesecake is firm around the sides with a slight wobble in the middle. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool completely before serving.

It is important that you let your cheese cool before topping it with anything. The flavor of this cheesecake improves with time and will continue to "mature" up till 5 days before it starts to get a little stale.

To serve, warm your knife in hot water to get cleaner slices.

Las Vegas: Alex at the Wynn

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:14:00 +0000

Dining at Alex at the Wynn summed up our trip to Las Vegas very well. This is the last of the food series in Vegas - and it was also the most memorable one because it was the first true fine dining experience I've ever had! When compared to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Alex's atmosphere is very classy and high end, everything in the restaurant were cover in gold weaves and a large crystal chandelier - it just screams Fine Dining. Although, the food in both food establishments are comparable - both were equally very good. P preferred Alex over L'Atelier and I vice versa. It's not that I don't think food at Alex isn't great, far from that, it's just a little bit too rich for my palate. I enjoyed the conventional pairing of flavors tremendously.
P and I both had tasting menus. As P is vegetarian, the staff printed a new menu just to accommodate him. If that isn't five star service, I don't know what is. The regular tasting menu fare changes from time to time. Thank god for the fact that the good waiter gave me a copy of my menu tied up in a brown ribbon, otherwise I would have forgotten the names.
So, on to the courses.

To start us off, the waiter swooped to our table with two platters and told us that it was from the compliments of the chef. It was an array of amuse bouche that we were told to start from left to right. P had almost the same thing except his was without the beef tartare opening.

Next came the first course from our tasting menu. Mine is Santa Barbara Prawn Carpaccio with Osetra Caviar, Giant Clam and Celery Salad. This is very similar to L'Atelier's langoustine carpaccio but with the caviar, there is a rich and nutty flavor to it, a stark contrast to L'Atelier's fresh and clean flavor.

P's was a savory warm panna cotta, I think it's flavored with Parmesan. Smooth and creamy, just as good as his corn and truffle cream at L'Atelier. :)

My second course was Butter Poached Maine Lobster with Sea Urchin Linguini, Lime Zst and Brussel Sprouts. The linguini was black as it was made with squid ink - it is my first time eating squid ink pasta and I must say, it tastes exactly like any other pasta except that it's black. The whole dish was delicious. I loved how the sea urchin gave the pasta a very butter flavor - as if the poached butter lobster wasn't buttery enough. It was sinfully good.

P's was a gnocchi dish. The gnocchi was so soft and pillowy, it almost melts in the mouth. With the buttery cream sauce over the top, P swore he'd never look at gnocchi the same way again. Oh yea, ricotta was a main ingredient in those gnocchi!

The richness just kept on coming. The next non-vegetarian course was a thick slice of sauteed foie gras. Oh. My. God. It was so rich, when I put a piece in my mouth, I could have swore I ate butter but then this subtle flavor of the dried fruit mostarda cuts through along with the refreshing Hakurei Turnips really made this dish. I won't order foie gras but I would order this foie gras dish.

P's dish was a medley of vegetables - unfortunately, I don't remember what it was anymore but I remembered him enjoying every bite on this plate.:)

Next was Dover Sole with Gem Lettuce, Chanterelles, Oven Dried Tomatoes and Red Wine Reduction. Lovely sole was coated with Parmesan, which gives it a very salty and creamy flavor.

P's course with mine. It was a roasted tomato relish over chives pancake. Simple but effectively good.

Last of the savory course was the Wagyu Beef with Parsnip custar, Bordelaine Sauce and Crispy Bone Marrow Fritter. God this is crazy. That beef was so tender, I don't think I can eat regular beef ever again. Which is a good thing because I don't cook beef at home anyway. The wagyu was beautifully marbled and melts in your mouth with every bite. Notice how everything here melts in your mouth like butter?

P's course was a slice of meaty mushroom. I think it's rabbit's foot but I could be wrong. Now, P is not a big mushroom fan but he Loves truffle...this dish was so good, he couldn't believe it was just straight up mushroom.

Our dessert was the most wonderful of all. We had three desserts and mini cake even though there was only two dessert items on the menu. Compliments from the chef, according to the wait staff - we won't complain. Maybe it was because we were celebrating our anniversary. ;)

However at the end, we were SO full we could no longer take a bite but we trudge on with the first and second dessert.

Coconut Tapioca with Tropical Fruits was the most ridiculous tasting thing we have ever had. How do they expect us to go back to our lives the way it was before after we've tasted this?? This wonderful dessert was a beautiful balance of flavors and so light, but at the same time ...rich? I can't fully explain it without my head getting a bit fuzzy. It was that good.

Second dessert item was the toasted vanilla brioche with butter poached apples and maple ice cream. This is perhaps the weakest link of the dessert. I liked the poached apples but everything else were just okay. And oddly enough, Mr. Sweettooth agreed.

By this time, we were really, really full. We want to just crawl out of this majestic dining room to catch Phantom of the Opera when the waiter swooped by again with two platters of desserts. 5 different options on each plate...AND a miniature cake with a "Happy Anniversary" written on a white chocolate marzipan (forgot to take a picture of that one). Goodness.. we decided to take the desserts away because we really had to go, and quite frankly we didn't want to further test the limit of our stomach. On our way out, we were given a box of macarons courtesy of the reception. Food was delicious but there's only so much deliciousness one can take. The desserts as we attested the next day were delicious, the macarons were te most delightful thing to eat.Ever. Perfect breakfast, imo. Though, I wished we had the time gone back to Tableau for a quick lunch before heading back to Montreal.

Las Vegas: Breakfast and Brunch at Tableau

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:11:00 +0000

One of the nicest, most memorable experience we had in Las Vegas was having brunch at Tableau. This establishment is located at the Wynn, and serves only breakfasts/brunch and lunch; each with a slightly different menu selections. What makes this place special is the 5-star treatment you get despite looking like the worse mother-hangover in the morning. Not that we were hung over or anything, maybe a bit giddy after L'Atelier. The food was unworldly delicious, everything on the menu was made in-house, from sausages, to their danishes, breads and even their ketchup!

While P and I poured through their one page breakfast menu, we had a hard time choosing what to eat. So many things to try and in the end we settled on two choices; for her, the Tableau Breakfast and for him, a White Chocolate and Orange Bread French Toast.

That morning we were in a silent and content mode, after L'Atelier the night before. Our conversations were peppered with previous night's meal when our our extremely proper and appeasing waiter, Peter, arrived with my basket of hot breads and three breakfast condiments. Instantly, we knew it was going to be a very good morning. The basket had three types of confections, all freshly made that morning and jams were strawberry, and marmalade and freshly whipped butter.

When our main meals arrived, our eyes glued to P's White Chocolate and Orange Bread French Toast. It was a sight to behold, I tell you. Thick golden bread with crispy edges, powdered with icing sugar sends wafts of orange flower perfumes over to my end of the table. I almost fainted with delight.

And my plate was a very typical breakfast fare of homemade sausages, eggs over easy and potato cakes with some wheat toast. Not the prettiest, but definitely hearty. I don't really like sweet foods for my mornings except for my coffee.

I did try a bite of the French toasts and it was really as good as it looks. Peter did say we can never find this served anywhere else but here.

Peter was an excellent waiter, he had a regal to him that makes you feel like he's your personal butler. Every conversation ended with a prim and proper nod, "sir", "ma'am", "very well, sir", "wonderful choice, ma'am", "an excellent pick, sir" and so on. And he served us so well, we felt pampered. The beautiful English-style decor was a little intimidating at first because of it's grandness but after a while, it grows on you and it becomes as comfortable as sitting on your grandparents' table having breakfast; rich grandparents.

We loved Tableau so much we went back a second time. This time it wasn't Peter who served us but a nonchalant waiter who did not tell us that huckleberries were not in season and our pancake came with blueberries instead.

And next, proper pictures for Alex, by Chef Alessandro Stratta.

Read about my other dining experience at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

Las Vegas: Dining at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:54:00 +0000

This was the first proper dining destination for our Vegas trip. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon is the sister establishment of Joël Robuchon, which incidentally was fully-booked until New Year's eve. It was a very memorable experience eating at the casual L'Atelier and a stepping stone for our taste buds to rest of this culinary trip. Never have we been wowed like that by poncy food propped atop of each other but we are getting it now. Poncy food only works well if the food is at the very least excellent, anything less can only be considered as stacked food with foam that reminds you of something unappetizing. For the uninitiated, Chef Robuchon has been named as Chef of the Century by Gault Millau so eating at any of his restaurants is indeed a privilege!

L'Atelier Joël Robuchon served us masterpieces of beautiful, intricate and delicious plates of food. P and I were delighted that the staff were so accommodating as well. P is vegetarian; and despite the little snafu made by the hostess who lead us to believe that the L'Atelier had a separate vegetarian-friendly menu like its fine dining counterpart, the wait staff quickly and ingenuously accommodated P's preference by crafting a 5-course vegetarian menu for the evening. It was very much appreciated despite it being last minute; and it did not disappoint. I had the holiday tasting menu, which had 9-courses from an amuse bouche to dessert(s as there were two for me). And bless the restaurant for they gave me a copy of their menu - I don't have P's menu however, so my dishes will have proper names while P's vegetarian courses will be identified as we go along.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon's Menu

*** Please forgive the low quality photos, the lighting at the L'Atelier was pretty dim and I was using our old Fujifilm F10 camera to take these pictures. I know, and if it's any consolation, I took my DSLR to Tableau and Alex so expect better pictures in those reviews. :)

Appetizers

L'Amuse Bouche:

Foie gras parfait with port wine and Parmesan foam.

This was the perfect amuse bouche for me because it made me even hungrier than when I started. Good thing I still have 8 more courses to go. At first, I wanted to drink the glass like a shot then I was told by the waiter I should perhaps use the spoon because there are surprises at the bottom. Of course, a piece of foie gras swimming at the bottom of the glass with the rest of the parfait.

P's savory cream of corn with champagne gelee and white truffles

This is a vegetarian course that is not on the menu. It was created on the fly by the excellent chef at L'Atelier. You should have seen P's face when he first tasted this. He was engulfed in so much pleasure, I never thought he'd be so affected by a cup of savory cream of corn. "It's the white truffle", he said. Corn and white truffle, I'm putting that on my list of things to stock in my pantry.

La Langoustine: Langoustine carpaccio with roasted poppy seed dressing

I have had fish and beef carpaccio but never shellfish carpaccio. I missed out, obviously. I loved the fresh flavors of the sea in this dish and the poppy seed dressing was so yummy with the langoustines.

P's Les Legumes: Mediterranean vegetables layered with buffalo mozzarella with green pesto.
Vegetables are like gems in the rough. When cooked properly, it can be the most delicious stack of food you can ever put in your mouth. Evidently. The buffalo mozzarella with the green pesto is like a marriage made in heaven.

Les Huitres: Poached baby Kussi oysters with French echiré butter
This was perhaps my favorite course of the evening because I LOVE OYSTERS. These kussi oysters were lightly poached and while I would be happy with it being completely fresh, I absolutely adored how the oysters were so perfectly plump and juicy and soaked in butter. My mouth salivates still every time I look at this picture.

P's La Cebette: White onion tart with ~~smoked bacon~~ parmesan and asparagus

Nevermind the bacon, P thought it was going to be something of a filler-course but the white onion tart was utterly delicious. It was probably the least fancy looking thing but flavor-wise, it more than made up for it's lack of aesthetics.

L'œuf: Steamed egg in a macaroni ring with black truffle and parsley coulis

When I first saw this dish, I didn't know what to make of it. I don't exactly like foamy sauces and I could not see the steamed egg. But let me tell you that this dish spoiled me and I can never eat an egg the same away again. Nestled within the foam and macaroni ring, lies an egg, round and pure. The whole egg was like a soft, pillowy cloud - and when I cut into it, a beautiful golden stream flowed out and envelopes the dish into a beautiful and tasty mess.

P's La Courgette:Roasted zucchini with eggplant caviar and Parmesan crisp

"So beautiful", we said in unison. This roasted zucchini was absolutely delicious and surprisingly rich. The eggplant caviar gave this dish a different dimension to it with a nice tartness that cuts into the richness of it all. P was raving, and raved some more the next day, about it.

La Sole: Dover sole fillet, baby leek with ginger

Who would have thought fish could taste this god-awesome good? I believe it was the lemon oil and combination of the sweetness of the leek that did it for me. It was the perfect palate cleanser for what is to come.

Main Courses

La Caille: Foie Gras stuffed free-ranged quail with truffled-mash potatoes

OR

Le Chevreuil: Venison with sweet and sour cranberry and chestnuts - I picked this one because I didn't feel like foie gras

The venison was cooked to medium rare and when I sink my knife for a bite, I gasped in surprise at how tender it was. It was like cutting into butter, and it melted in my mouth. The venison was not gamey as I thought it would be either, it was just utterly delicious.

P's Les Spagetti: L’Atelier style spaghetti with truffle oil

Do not let this unassuming pasta dish fool you, it was perfumed with truffle oil and bathe in a rich tomato sauce.

Dessert:

La Passion: Fresh passion fruit in a coconut meringue, Champagne brut - P's menu did not have La Passion, which was a pity. But thankfully for him, I shared.

This dessert was the most divine pleasure at L'Atelier. As everything else was perfectly delicious, the sweet and tartness of the passion fruit ice cream enclosed in a cloud of crispy meringue atop a wafer atop a brut was the perfect ending to our meal. But in the spirit of hedonistic decadence, our waiter brought us our final blow....

La Noisette: Hazelnut dacquoise, gianduja crunch and chocolate ice cream.

Decadent, rich chocolate ice cream on hazelnut dacquoise a nutty crunchy wafer deck with a gold leaf. The entire plate was powdered in gold circular patterns - yes, it is real powdered gold on our plates.

Overall, it was an excellent experience from food to service. L'Atelier Joël Robuchon was an exciting experience that opened up our gastronomical horizons leaving us hankering for more. And thankfully, this is just our first stop.

Next, I'll write about Tableau (the best breakfast and brunch spot in the whole of Vegas).

A Wish

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:02:00 +0000

*** Edit [29th Dec 2009]: Las Vegas was a culinary adventure. I can't wait to share with you my experiences at Alex, L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, Raku (who said sushi and ramen were the only things Japanese ate?), Stratta, Pizza Place and Tableau (best brunch and breakfast). And because I stayed at the Wynn, most of these restaurants are located within the vicinity. Wynn is by far, the best hotel experience I have ever had and that is saying a lot because I've stayed in Many hotels (granted most of them are in South East Asia with a sprinkling in the south island of New Zealand, and Canada). The service at the Wynn was top-notch and full of class, even the casual dining places had very commendable service. This is it for me. The Wynn, Las Vegas has spoiled me rotten and the seductive gastronomical and fine dining experiences has left me wanting me more. Even my first experience in Au Pied de Cochon paled in comparison - no, APDC is out of their league.

A Series of Kitchen Experiments would like to wish all of you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

I won't be updating this blog till the New Year, I'll be in Vegas and hopefully I'll get to try ALL the restaurants I want to go to. Joel Robouchon, Michael Mina, et. al. here I come!

xoxoxo,
Elaine

Christmas Gift Idea: Biscotti - three kinds.

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:11:00 +0000

It's almost that time of the year!

I have three biscotti recipes to share and they do make wonderful gifts. Shipping them overseas is not a problem at all because biscotti last for weeks! I don't know about you but I like to give things that are made instead of bought - at least, for me, I appreciate gifts like that a bit more because of the personal touches put into it.

So, back to the biscotti recipes, I have three that I'd like to share;

1) Pistachio and cranberry biscotti,

2) Orange-flavored Chocolate chip and hazelnut biscotti and

3) Japanese Green Tea and chocolate chip biscotti.

All three are delicious and goes extremely well with coffee and tea.

1) Pistachio and Cranberry Biscotti

This is a very cheerful and colorful biscotti, perfect for the Christmas season, it also has the holiday colors with the green pistachios and red cranberries studded in every golden bite. Imagine receiving a package of these colorful biscotti at your door steps - it would warm even the coldest days. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, unsalted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
Rind of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, scraped and pods discarded - or use 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 cup of pistachio
1 cup of dried cranberries

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Spray baking sheet with some oil/coat with butter. Sift, the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

1. Cream butter with sugar until it turns into a pale creamy consistency. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well.

If you have a stand mixer or a hand mixer this would be a breeze but to be quite honest, it is very doable by hand too.

2. I like adding my flavoring in the butter mixture, I feel that it's better incorporated that way. So, add your vanilla and lemon rind in here and stir to perfume the butter mixture.

3. Now it's time to add the dry ingredients; I like to add the flour mixture and the pistachio and cranberries alternately into the butter mixture so it gets incorporated well.

At the end, your batter will have a chocolate chip cookie batter consistency. If it's too sticky, chill the batter in the fridge before baking for 30 minutes.

4. With your spatula, half the batter and shape it into logs on your baking sheet. Flatten it until it's about 1 inch thick and approximately 9-inches in length. You will have two logs from this one batch of batter.

5. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven. After that, cool the batter for 30 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife. Slice the biscotti logs into approximately 3/4 inch thick cookies and bake for 15 minutes minutes in the same oven temperature.

Let the biscotti cool completely before storing.

It's simple, isn't it? :)

Next biscotti recipe!

2) Orange-flavored Chocolate and Hazelnut Biscotti

This is a very traditional take on flavor. Orange and chocolate? Can't go wrong with that :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, unsalted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
Rind of 1 large orange, grated
1 vanilla bean, scraped and pods discarded - or use 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
1+3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 cup of hazelnuts, whole

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Spray baking sheet with some oil/coat with butter. Sift, the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

1. Cream butter with sugar until it turns into a pale creamy consistency. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well.

2. I like adding my flavoring in the butter mixture, I feel that it's better incorporated that way. So, add your vanilla and orange rind in here and stir to perfume the butter mixture.

3. Now it's time to add the dry ingredients; I like to add the flour mixture and the hazelnuts alternately into the butter mixture so it gets incorporated well.

4. With your spatula, half the batter and shape it into logs on your baking sheet. Flatten it until it's about 1 inch thick and approximately 9-inches in length. You will have two logs from this one batch of batter.

5. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven. After that, cool the batter for 30 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife. Slice the biscotti logs into approximately 3/4 inch thick cookies and bake for 15 minutes minutes in the same oven temperature.

Let the biscotti cool completely before storing.

3)Japanese Green Tea and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

This is a very unique flavored biscotti. The flavor of the green tea powder gives it a very pleasant bitterness, almost like dark chocolate with a hint of floral tea leaves that green tea imparts. And with chocolate chips, it's quite delicious with a glass of cold milk! Here's to all the green anti-oxidant goodness in a bite! :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, unsalted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, scraped and pods discarded - or use 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
1+3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of green tea powder, also known as Matcha
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 cup of chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C. Spray baking sheet with some oil/coat with butter. Sift, the flour, matcha powder, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

1. Cream butter with sugar until it turns into a pale creamy consistency. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well.

2. I like adding my flavoring in the butter mixture, I feel that it's better incorporated that way. So, add your vanilla beans/extract in here and stir to perfume the butter mixture.

3. Now it's time to add the dry ingredients; I like to add the flour mixture and the chocolate chips alternately into the butter mixture so it gets incorporated well.

4. With your spatula, half the batter and shape it into logs on your baking sheet. Flatten it until it's about 1 inch thick and approximately 9-inches in length. You will have two logs from this one batch of batter.

5. Bake for 30 minutes in the oven. After that, cool the batter for 30 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife. Slice the biscotti logs into approximately 3/4 inch thick cookies and bake for 15 minutes minutes in the same oven temperature.

Let the biscotti cool completely before storing.

Steamed tofu with meat sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:28:00 +0000

This is a very Chinese-style dish that often made it to my family's dinner table back home in Malaysia; steamed silken tofu with meat sauce garnished with ginger-garlic oil and scallions. I made this on a work night to go with some rice and simple stir-fried veggies and that's dinner in less than 45minutes.

You can use vegetarian "meat" as a substitute for this dish as I had done. I bet you couldn't even tell the difference from that picture! Feel free to use minced chicken, pork or shrimps in this recipe, it would still be very tasty.

Steamed Tofu with Meat Sauce Recipe:

250g of silken tofu block, handle with care

Sauce:
150 grams of minced chicken, pork and/or shrimps
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 scallions/green onions - chopped and used only the white part, reserve the green ends for garnish
1 teaspoon of chopped ginger
1 tablespoon of goji berries (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/4 cup of water
salt/pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of oil

Garnish:
Green scallions (green part of the stalk)
garlic-ginger oil (recipe below)

Method:
1. Carefully remove tofu out of its package and pat it dry with a paper towel. Wrap paper towels around the tofu and set it over a plate, cover with another plate and put some weight over the top. This is to draw the extra water out of the tofu. I used canned vegetables as my weights. Do this for 10 minutes and prep the other ingredients.

2. To make the meat sauce, pre-heat a pan over medium high heat until hot. Add oil and sesame oil and add in garlic for a saute, do not burn the garlic. Add your minced meat in and cook the meat for 5 minutes, until it is nicely infused and fragrant with the oil.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients in and let the meat sauce come to a simmer. Once it is slightly reduce, the meat sauce is ready. Set aside.

4. Remove the paper towels off the tofu, and place the silken tofu in a plate. Add the meat sauce over the top of the tofu and steam it in a steamer for 10 minutes.

5. To serve, garnish with chopped green scallions and ginger-garlic oil drizzled over the top.

Ginger-garlic oil
(makes about 1/4 cup of ginger-garlic oil)
2 tablespoon of garlic
1 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Method:

There are two ways you can do this, by frying the ginger and garlic in oil in a pan on your stove top until golden brown or via your microwave. I did it in the microwave because it's simple and does not compromise the flavor of the oil.

1. Mix the ginger and garlic with oil in a microwavable bowl and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. If the garlic and ginger still looks a bit pale after two minutes, cook for another 30 secs until it is golden brown.

Very Easy Roasted Duck Breast

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Honestly, this duck dish does not have a name. But it is the duck dish for all duck dishes because this is a basic duck preparation that anyone can use and then customized to their liking.

I love duck. It's one of those meats that I can't get enough of. Have you had Chinese roast duck? That crispy brown skin and gray flesh nicely imbued with Chinese spices and herbs? It is to die for. But I do not have time to dry and blow a whole duck's skin up before roasting for that Peking goodness so I make do with a nice slab of duck breast from Lac Brome Ducks.

Why are ducks from Lac Brome Ducks special? I just know that this is the oldest duck-breeding farm in Canada that breeds Peking ducks - and knowing that their ducks are not forced-fed for foie gras is good enough for me.

It's really easy to get duck at the market, your everyday grocery stores carries frozen duck breasts in their freezer sections at the very least. And cooking duck breast cannot be any easier. Duck is probably the only poultry you can eat a little raw. You treat it like steak and cook it to your desired done-ness; I like mine medium. There are two ways to finish cooking this duck breast, on the stove top or in the oven. This is the stove top method.

A Very Easy Roasted Duck Breast
serves 2 people

1 Duck Breast, with skin intact
salt & pepper

Optional seasonings:
1 teaspoon szechuan peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Chinese Five Spiced Sauce:
1 teaspoon five spiced powder
1 star anise
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2 teaspoon of duck fat, reserved from duck breast
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Crush the Szechuan peppers with cumin until powdery fine. Use a pepper mill to do this. Mix it with the garlic powder to combine well and set the seasoning aside.

2. Make small slits on the duck skin, in a crisscrossed manner - be careful to not cut through to the meat.

3. Season with salt and pepper throughout the duck breast. Rub the seasoning spice you had milled on the meat of the duck and not the skin. Let the duck breast sit for about 15 minutes so the flavors of the spice get a chance to work its magic through. It would be best if you could let it sit in the fridge overnight.

4. Heat a skillet on the stove - there is no need for any oil. Once the skillet is really hot, put the duck breast in skin side down and let it roast in the pan for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

At this point you'll be seeing a lot of oil gathering around the pan, save two teaspoons for the sauce later. Or save it all and use it as you would with olive oil, just remember to store it in the fridge so it won't go rancid.

5. After 5 minutes, pour the excess oil out into a small bowl. Turn the duck breast over and cook for another 4 minutes.

6. Remove duck breast onto a cutting board to let it rest for 10 minutes - cover with some aluminum foil.

To make the sauce:

7. In the same skillet, add two teaspoon of the duck fat and the crushed garlic. Saute until the oil is fragrant and then add in the chicken broth, star anise, brown sugar, five spiced powder and thyme. Scrape the fond off the skillet and let concoction boil until it is reduced by half.

8. To serve, slice the duck breast as thin as you want, serve with some sauce.

I served mine over some left over butternut squash puree. MMm!

You can make changes to this duck recipe to suit your taste. Duck a l'orange? Sure, follow the recipe for the sauce and drizzle it over the duck breast. Duck is a very tasty meat on its own and while you pay premium price in restaurants, you can easily make it at home at a fraction of the price!

Back soon

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Oh boy, has it been that long?

I need to get my ass back to posting! Sorry, readers - I've been very bad in the kitchen, eating toasts with peanut butter for dinner and opening cans of tuna with a drizzle of ketchup with some hard-boiled eggs for dinner. AND I have 5 beautiful Lac Brome duck breasts in my freezer waiting to be thawed, roasted, basted, sliced and served with a nice spicy sauce.

Gotta get cooking...soon!

The open-face smoked meat sandwich for breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:18:00 +0000

Have you ever had one of those days when you just don't know what to eat? I've been having a lot of those days lately.

I stared at my fridge for 5 minutes thinking about what I could make for brunch. And after a long halloween night (yay, Montreal Canadiens won!), I was famished.

Thankfully, I had some left over smoked meat from Schwartz's so I made an open-face breakfast sandwich with some pan roasted cherry tomatoes. Topped with a lot of pepper, a sprinkle of salt and it was just scrumptious! I know, it's perhaps not the most healthiest of breakfast but I wanted some greasy grub, yo. Ok, it wasn't that greasy but I shoulda added some home fries to the mix, drizzled with some maple syrup for a little more kick!

Sorry for the lack of food postings, there's been lots of eating but not much of them are blog-worthy. I seriously need to cook up a storm.

enRoute's Food Issue 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:03:00 +0000

And here we have it:

Canada's 10 Best New Restaurant 2009

This might come as a little surprise to some of you. I have never blogged about this before but it's such a pity that not many people know about this because it's really an homage to food and good eating. I'm talking about enRoute Magazine's Food Issue that comes out every November. It's in its 8th installment this year and this year, it's our sexiest food issue yet. Okay, okay...every year is sexier than the other but I digress.

With pictures like these - how can you resist not wanting to feast your eyes on them?

Taken from CBNR 2008 No.1 restaurant: Nota Bene

Taken from CBNR 2008 No.2 restaurant: Le Local

Taken from CBNR 2008 No.10 restaurant: Stage

I feel that all of you should know about this magazine's food issue because it used to be a magazine that was made for a certain select group, a certain group that flies with a certain airline. But that is all changing now that the monthly content of enRoute Mag is published in http://enroute.aircanada.com - everyone can have access to their monthly publication online.

So on November 1st, enRoute's 2009 Food Issue will be published online for all to see. And because I work with the magazine; you will have to take my word for it that this issue is going to be a very yummy one! It's more than just a Canadian centered magazine, it's a magazine that is true to its travel and lifestyle stories, it's international.

For all you who are interested in the restaurant scene in North America, Canada's 10 Best New Restaurants 2009 will be announced tomorrow at Canada AM at 9am. The list will be made available online then as well.

Check out the previous years' #CBNR list (click on the magazine covers):

Bing Cherry Jam for Binging

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Bing Cherries has to be my favorite fruit during summer, after watermelons and grapes. There was an abundance of cherries in my home too, at one point, I didn't know what to do with them after I made that lovely Apple Cherry Pie and Cherry Cake. Then, I decided to make jam with them for the winter months by canning them.

Yeah, right... the jam didn't even make it till Autumn!

We binged on the jam like there was no tomorrow because ..well, it's delicious. These succulent fruits made an excellent preserve. The Bing Cherry recipe is the simplest you'll ever see and there might be more pictures than words for this post.

Bing Cherry Jam recipe:

1500 grams of pitted Bing Cherries, this is the weight of the cherries without their pits.
150 grams of granulated sugar
1 Tahitian vanilla bean, halved
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Pit the cherries and put them in a large heavy pot. Add the rest of the ingredients in, stir to combine and turn on heat.

2. Let the cherries come to a boil and then lower heat to a low. Skim off any scum that will appear on the top. This an important step so that your jam do not turn cloudy.

3. Cook the jam down to about half, it should be thick and be able to coat the back of your wooden spoon. And don't forget to toss the vanilla bean out after you're done. It took me about 45mins - 1 hr of cooking with the occasional stirring.

Can your jam using the traditional canning process and it will last for up to a year. Honestly, I don't think it will last that long.

This recipe makes approximately 4 cups of jam. This Bing Cherry jam is great on toasts, making pastries and sauces. I think it would be a great replacement for cranberry sauce on Christmas too!

I am also enrolling this jam recipe to Aimee's UtHC Virtual Jam Swap!: http://www.underthehighchair.com/2009/06/announcinguthc-jam-swap-09.html

Kneading to Make Brioche Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

I personally do not celebrate Thanksgiving, so no turkey for me! But I know a lot of you do. I would like to dedicate a post about a certain kind of bread I like for this day, the Brioche.

I've always been fascinated by Brioche, unfortunately, I have yet to find that rich, yellow loaf sold in any bakeries here. Even the formidable varieties in Premier Maison failed to include fluffy brioche loaves as part of their offerings - their brioche are slathered with sugar and looked a lot like monkey bread.

I want a lovely loaf of brioche baked into the shape of the proverbial bread, and when sliced is beautifully fluffy, rich and sponge-marked. A slight steam of freshness permeates the loaf with buttery goodness and when spread with a bit of jam sends you to heaven with a bite. This can only be realize, and I realized, if I made my own brioche bread.

Admittedly, it wasn't how I had envisioned it but it's close - delicious smelling, rich and buttery to the taste. It just wasn't fluffy enough but only because I did not let it settle overnight in the fridge to rest and rise. I believe it would have developed a better brioche in terms of texture and flavor if you do that so follow Laura's recipe.

Who's Laura?

I found this recipe after scanning through a series of recipes, I decided to settle for Laura Calder's brioche recipe from the Food Network; from French Food at Home.

Brioche recipe:

2 envelopes dry active yeast (about 16 g)
6 tbsp warm water or milk
1-1/2 tsps salt
2 tbsp sugar
4 cups flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup butter
1 x egg yolk
Milk for wash

Method:
1. Stir the yeast into the warm water (or milk), with the salt and sugar. Set aside for five minutes to dissolve. Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in it. Put the eggs and the yeast mixture in the well. Mix it, drawing in the flour, to make a soft, sticky dough.

2. Work the dough, lifting and slapping, until it becomes soft and very smooth and elastic (this process is a long and difficult job by hand. A mixer with hook attachment is great if you have one). Knead the butter to soften it to the same texture as the dough. Now, work in the butter a piece at a time, again to create smooth, sticky dough (again, the mixer will make that easy). Let the dough rise at room temperature in a covered bowl for two hours.

3. Punch down the risen dough. Put it back in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight to double. Shape the bread; let it rise 1 1/2 hours in the pan. Glaze with yolk and milk wash. Bake the loaves at 425ºF/220°C for 40 to 45 minutes.

The brioche was made at my old apartment. And I ate a warm slice of brioche with my homemade Bing cherry jam (recipe will come in one of the next few posts!).

P.S. On the 10th of October, I had the pleasure to meet with a few Montreal food bloggers at one of our local Korean eateries. It was delightful to eat on a table with like-minded people. I'll be writing a sort-of review of Atti Korean restaurant on Rue University in Montreal, QC and the experience of sitting on a long table full of foodies eating mediocre Korean fare in my next post!

What to do with leftover risotto?

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Risotto balls.

Quite simply, risotto when left overnight will solidify enough to for you to form a ball if you wet your hands enough. This is thanks to the starch that the rice imparts along with some dehydration. And the rest is quite simply rolling the individual balls on some breadcrumbs - do use Panko because they are crispier than traditional breadcrumbs - a bit of salt and pepper.

Since your risotto is tasty to begin with, you don't really need much seasoning to make risotto balls. Deep fry the breadcrumb dredged risotto balls until golden brown and use marinara sauce as dip. Simple, delicious and quite hedonistic. A cup of left over risotto will make about 6-8 risotto balls depending on how big you make them to be.

Once they are deep fried in golden delicious balls, serve them over a bed of greens. Risotto balls are also very good as appetizer. Too much carbs? Don't worry about it, walk that extra mile tomorrow. ;)

Risotto balls recipe

Left over risotto, shaped into 1 inch diameter balls
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
enough oil for a deep fry

Marinara sauce for dipping
Or
Your favorite green salad mix, tossed lightly with some basic dressing

Method:

1. Mix the panko breadcrumbs with a pinch of salt and some cracked pepper. Roll the risotto balls into the breadcrumbs to dredge.

You don't need eggwash for this because the breadcrumbs will stick very well to the balls, thanks to the starch.

2. Deep fry the risotto balls until they are a crispy golden brown. Transfer them to rest on paper towels to and season with some salt over risotto balls.

3. Serve with marinara sauce as a dip or over a bed of greens as a salad. Lemon wedges would go very well to squeeze over the top before serving.

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For recipes on risotto, check out my Roasted Cauliflower Risotto and Peas and Broccoli Rabe risotto.

There will be dog treats in the near future

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:04:00 +0000

Here is a short post to announce a new addition to our household - Morgan, the Golden Retriever. He is 7 weeks old and is a pee and poo machine. We are crate training him so hopefully, he would be completely house-broken in a few weeks (or months), or there will be no puppy treats for him.

Look at him. I am glad I get to come and squeeze the little bugger everyday, that is, until he gets ginormous then the roles would be reversed. We have a feeling he's going to tip on the end of the large scale for Goldens judging from the size of his head and his chunky paws. I want to gnaw them.

Making Crêpe for Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:35:00 +0000

How do you like your pancakes?

Flapjacks fluffy or thin and crispy?

I like them both but P has a preference for Crêpe because it's light and crispy, and when filled with fruits and drizzled with maple syrup can be extremely heavenly. My recipe for crêpe was adapted from BBC food site.

So one fine Sunday morning, I woke up early to make breakfast for ourselves. Crêpe with strawberries and maple syrup drizzle.

Crêpe with Fruits and Maple Syrup
4oz of all purpose flour, sifted
200 ml of milk + 75ml water
2 large egg
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar
50g of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple syrup
Fruits of your choice

Method:
1. Combine the sugar, salt and flour in a bowl and whisk the dry ingredients together.

2. Moving on to the wet ingredients, make a well in the center of the bowl and crack the eggs in and pour the liquids in. Mix until smooth.
3. Heat up pan and melt butter completely, spoon two tablespoons of the butter into the crêpe mixture and reserve the rest to oil the pan as you make your crêpe.

I use a 10inch diameter pan. So I pour about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of batter to make a one crêpe.

4. Heat the same pan you melt your butter in and oil the pan with the melted butter using a piece of folded paper towel. Pour enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan by swirling the batter around.

5. Cook the crêpe 2 - 3 minutes on the first side and then finish off another 1 minute before taking it off the heat.

I like to fold my crêpe into triangles and then topping them with fruits, maple syrup and maybe a dash of powdered sugar.

This crêpe recipe is a tried and tested one if you want crêpe that has crispy edges with a light texture.

Chicken Braised with Garlic and White Wine

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Hold your breath, this recipe requires 50 cloves of garlic.

No. It's not a typo.

This is a very Portuguese-inspired meal where the food is braised to cook with simple supplemental flavorings. I know you probably think that 50 cloves of garlic seem like an overkill but trust me, it is lovely. The garlic flavor was just right, and not overpowering at all. Actually, cooked garlic has a very sweet and mellow flavor and in this dish, it's really an ode to the garlic. I figured that with the season changing and a piggy bug going around the globe, a little boost to the immune system with some garlicky goodness will do everyone some good. Garlic is high in antioxidants and has natural anti-viral properties that helps us ward off the nasty cold and flu.

So, before I digress further into a health charade, this chicken recipe was taken from Epicurious. I made a little tweak to it by adding a bit of shallots, carrots and instead of fresh thyme, I used what I had; some dried rosemary. It was delicious and simple to make. And it is a crowd-pleaser recipe that I think you ought to give it a try.

Here's the recipe for Chicken Braised with Garlic and White Wine.

Ingredients:
7lb whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (you can buy any cuts you want, but I like to dismantle my own chicken)
50 cloves of whole garlic, peeled
2 shallots, minced
2 cups of dry white wine, any brand you like (I picked a mid-level bottle, just don't buy the extremely cheap wine that tastes like crap. Use wine that you would drink that is not too expensive for cooking. And if you'd like, you can use a Portuguese wine to keep to the theme.)
2 carrots, chopped into large chunks
4 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Season your chicken pieces with salt and pepper, generously.
2. Heat a large lidded pan with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and sear your chicken pieces until they are browned on all sides. This browning stage is rather important because it gives a lot of flavor.

3. After all your chicken pieces are browned, set them aside and in the same pan add the remaining 2tablespoons of olive oil and throw in your garlic cloves, saute them for a minute on low heat until they are slightly browned.

Add your minced shallots in for a saute until they become translucent.

Oh those 50 cloves of garlic is in there, under the chickies releasing all it's garlicky goodness.

4. Add the 2 cups of white wine in, and let the liquid come to a simmer. Transfer the chicken back into the pan, throw in the rosemary and carrots.

5. At this point, you have the option to finish the cooking on stove top or in the oven. I popped it in a 350F oven for another 45minutes covered and then another 15 minutes uncovered and i increased the heat to 450F. If you want to cook it on the stove top, cook it covered under low heat for 1 hour.

To serve, I made some greens and mash potatoes to go with it. Spoon the chicken and garlic pieces over the mash potatoes.

Here's to all it's garlicky goodness!

The simplest of pleasures, bruschetta

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:59:00 +0000

Honestly, I can live off this for weeks, if not months. The simple flavors imparted by the simplest of ingredients, marinated tomatoes on a nicely toasted bread is unprecedented. Who said you need to spend hours standing in the kitchen for a decent meal? I say make Bruschetta. Bruschetta comes in many forms in Italy, this one is all about summer flavors - so tomatoes it is.

First, you need to make sure that you use only the best ingredients you can find. Juiciest, sweetest tomatoes, good olive oil and a good loaf of baguette. I dislike the usual baguettes because they can sometimes be too thin. Try other European style baguettes, something with a bigger girth so it can carry a good amount of topping when you slice them. I personally like the Parisienne-style breads for this.

Bruschetta with Marinated Tomatoes

1 loaf of Parisienne bread (or baguette), sliced twelve rings off it (keep the rest for bread salad, maybe)
2 cups of ripe tomatoes, chopped into cubes, reserve juices as well - do not worry about uniformity.
1 teaspoon of good balsamic vinegar - or any liquid with acidity, like lemon juice and other vinegars.
10 large leaves of fresh basil, torn into pieces (use 1 teaspoon dried basil if you don't have any fresh)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic, grated
1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. First, prepare your marinated tomatoes. They need at least 15 mins to marinate after combining with the rest of the ingredients to be ready. In large bowl, add your tomatoes, and everything else in (except the bread). Mix well with a spoon and let it sit in the fridge while you prepare your bread.

2. I like to pan toast my bread with butter. You can put them in your toaster but I like that my bread tastes a little buttery, and not just crispy. Spread some butter on each side of the bread slices. Heat a large round pan until hot and pan fry your bread until they are golden brown on each side.

You can prepare these two ingredients a day in advance and serve them for immediate consumption when you're ready.

3. To serve, spoon a heap of tomatoes over the toasted bread pieces. You must eat these immediately before the bread becomes soggy.

I used yellow and red tomatoes for this recipe. Feel free to use any kinds of tomatoes you want. I find that mixing different kinds of tomatoes is best for this recipe.

Now, isn't Bruschetta simple to make? In just three easy steps and you have dinner on the table - yes, they are filling. And if you do have some Parmesan cheese, grate them over the top of each Bruschetta before serving. The cheese gives a very bold, salty flavor to each bite!

TIP: Do not throw away the leftover juice from the marinated tomatoes, this is actually the tastiest bit of it all. Save them as a salad dressing or toss them with some pasta. And if you like your bloody mary's, use this juice and top it up with some vodka. ;)