Palate Sensations Cooking School, Singapore

The accolades are up!

2012-01-24T12:32:00.000+08:00

I finally got around to framing my Le Cordon Bleu Diplome de Cuisine so here it is! 9 months of French Cuisine yielded this piece of paper and an unforgetable experience.

So here it is up at the studio together with both Charlotte and my details.

See you at the studio!

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-24T12:27:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone

Sorry it's been so long between postings. With Christmas and Chinese New Year, we have been busy at the studio completing our renovations and touch ups. We also did a massive clean up so the studio is now nice and clean ready for the new year.

In January we have been busy launching all our modular classes with our Chef in Training classes being very full. Our next in take will be in April so do enroll soon if you dont want to miss out!

We held a Chinese New Year class where Chef Shih taught everyone how to make her own particular yu sheng which is very refreshing. It is full of herbs and shredded coconut and delicious grated fresh vegetables.

We wish everyone a fantastic and prosperous Chinese New Year in the Year of the Dragon. May all your dreams and wishes come true. We look forward to seeing you at our studio again when we resume classes on Saturday 28th January.

Lynette

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-12-15T14:22:00.001+08:00

Photo by Chef Lynn Chen

HI there!

Greetings from Bangkok. How time flies! I have now almost completed my Superior Cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok. Soon we will be having our final exams. By December 23rd, I should have my Diplome de Cuisine!

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been to classes and organised events at Palate Sensations.

2011 is our first full year at our new studio at Biopolis. We changed our team during the year with our Executive Chef Chris Bell returning to the restaurant scene in Sydney and our Chef Assistant Joel Tan returning to culinary school. Our current team at Palate Sensations consists of a female team helmed by our Italian Executive Chef Charlotte D'Isidoro, our Chef Assistant Malak and our Studio Manager Diana Soh.

This year has been an eventful and successful year where we held classes for large corporate groups of up to 50 participants, private celebrations and many public modular skills based classes. We hope you all had as much fun as we had hosting and designing classes for you. Some of the many things we participated in included hosting Denise Vivaldo's legendary food styling classes, Chef James Martin's visit to Singapore and helping Starhub launch their FooDIY App. We set up a small herb garden outside our studio, donated money to SPCA and put together a kids class for IKEA. It has been very satisfying to see so many students graduate from our Foundations classes this year. Your thirst for culinary skills has spurred us on to create more advanced level classes for you.

We now turn towards 2012. We have already scheduled all our classes for the entire year. You can download our programme brochure here. As always, our classes are hands on and we have designed some new classes and changed alot of recipes for the current classes so that you can return and learn new recipes while continuing to hone your culinary and baking skills.

We will be closed from Tuesday 20th December to Tuesday 3rd January (inclusive dates) for our annual studio maintenance. We will open the doors again to classes from 4th January. During this period of closure, we will continue to answer phone calls and e-mails. We will also continue to hold small private events only but it will be held at another studio.

We take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Take care of yourself and your families. Enjoy this wonderful break wherever you are spending it. I will be returning to Sydney to be with my family.

See you next year for another exciting year!

Lynette

Happenings lately at the studio

2011-12-12T23:45:00.001+08:00

It's almost Christmas and we are finishing off our last few cooking classes before we break for the Christmas and New Year. We will be doing quite abit of renovations and touch ups to get ready for 2012. I am looking forward to 2012. Are you? We have so many classes happening next year! Check out our 2012 programmes here.

Chef Sawarto who has taken over our baking classes at Palate Sensations taught a meringue class as part of our Foundations of Baking Iron Chef series.

Here is a mini Bomb Alaska filled with home made ice cream which the students demolished in about 2 seconds

Lovely coloured mini meringues which the students made

In the afternoon, Chef Francois Mermilliod from Absinthe taught a Christmas menu to a packed class of 19 students.

The first course was vol au vents with seafood and lobster sauce

Instead of the usual Beef Wellington, they made Venison Wellington stuffed with foie gras. Sinfully good!

The dessert was also a Bomb Alaska also called a Norwegian Omelette

Stay tuned for my Christmas letter coming out this week.

Have a great week ahead.

New scales

2011-11-28T18:59:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last posted anything. I have been busy updating my Le Cordon Bleu blog. I only have 3 weeks left before we finish the course and then I will hopefully be awarded my Diplome de Cuisine.

At the studio, we made a decision to get serious about our scales. This is because the domestic small variety is just not cutting it. With so many students handling it, it tends to break down very easily so we decided to invest in 4 commercial scales. Hopefully they will not break down so easily.

We are constantly reviewing our equiptment and changing and replacing them if necessary. That way, you always get to use the best equipment there is.

I have also decided not to work with sponsors where ever possible so that we can choose what we want to use and stand by it.

What is Persian Cuisine?

2011-11-16T22:07:00.000+08:00

Persian food is one of the world’s most ancient cuisines with its culinary dates stretching back to the 5th and 6th centuries BC.

Its strategic location made it an ideal point to exchange the culture of food and ingredients between the Orient and the West.

Persian culinary has many facets, arising from the Empire’s long and complex history. Persian eating habits and food types have been widely influenced by or reciprocally affected on the ancient Greece, Roman, Asian and Mediterranean cuisines.

This is the reason behind its mysterious ingredients and secrets which lead to an accomplishment of the most ancient culinary art.

It includes a wide variety of food types and ingredients, ranging from long grain rice, bread, meat, poultry, seafood, herbs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, flowers, which are synthesized to make savoury, diverse appetizers, dips, rice, stews, grills, pastries and drinks.

Preparation of the fragrant rice is the Persians’ pride and prowess, which culminate a variety of dishes solely. Polow and Chelow are the main classifications behind cooking the rice.

Restaurants provide limited dishes of this cuisine therefore, you must be lucky enough to be invited to an Iranian home in order to fully appreciate the true delight of a Persian dinner.

Different climates of this old Empire provided a diversity of regional cuisines, to which the main classifications are Central, Northern, East & West Northern and the Southern part of Iran.

The Persian home cooking classes are privileged to provide authentic recipes of some regional and the most popular dishes from the Central part of Iran.

Stay tuned for Persian Cuisine classes coming up in 2012!

The 2012 programs are out!

2011-11-13T16:51:00.001+08:00

It's been quite a while since my last posting.

I am pleased to let you know that we have finished scheduling the 2012 programs (the major ones anyway). We will continue to put on more classes and we will schedule them in the coming months.

We are also working on a series of classes to be taught by restaurant chefs in Singapore. Watch out for those.

Here is a sneak peak of our programs. You can download the whole brochure here. We are working on a better design before we print paper copies of these to hand out. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Let us know if you have any questions or if you have any suggestions for new classes and ideas. We would love to hear from you!

Lynette

The art of making puff pastry

2011-10-27T19:40:00.001+08:00

In one of our Foundations of Baking Masterchef classes recently, Chef Sawarto taught the class to make puff pastry from scratch. You need alot of muscles as it needs a cold environment and also alot of "turning". A good puff pastry needs time to rest and also needs at least 4 turns to create layers in between the butter.

Our participants did a fantastic job and in between, they made their filling which included sweet apple, garden vegetables and a meat based filling. Let's just say there was nothing left by the end of the class.

The puff pastries cooling on a rack

The apple puff pastry which tasted delicious by the way.

If you are interested in hands on baking classes, be sure to join our Foundations of Baking classes. Our Iron Chef series should be starting soon. We focus on techniques first and we ensure the recipes you make will support the techniques you will learn.

Update from Lynette's Desk.. a sneak peak of what's happening in 2012..

2011-10-23T16:54:00.002+08:00

It's been such a long time since I last wrote on the Palate Sensations blog. I've now graduated from Basic and Intermediate Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Bangkok. I am currently into my second week of Superior Cuisine. In another 8 weeks, it will all be over and I will finally graduate with a Diplome de Cuisine. How time flies!

Anyway I wanted to let you know that despite me being away, the school continues to hold classes. Here is a picture of Chef Francois Mermilliod's Restaurant series where the advanced students learn the art of plating and presentation.

At the same time, our Executive Chef Charlotte D'Isidoro is running her Italian Masterchef classes as well as many movie based classes. Here is the beautiful pine nut custard pie from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun.

Throughout the last 6 months, I have flown home to Singapore almost every single weekend and I will continue to do so for the last 3 months so that I can keep in touch with what's happening at Palate Sensations.

Due to such high demand for hands on macaron classes, Chef Sawarto will start teaching hands on basic and advanced macaron classes once a month on both a weekday and weekend. The classes will be kept small with only 12 participants per lesson.

We are working very hard in the last 3 months of the year to bring you much more sophistication next year. We are almost finished finalising our 2012 schedules which will almost all be in modular formats so that you can all build on your skills and techniques. The schedules will be uploaded on the website when they are completed and we will also publish them in a brochure which will both be a physical copy and a downloadable pdf copy on the website for easy reference.

Almost all modular classes will include a mandatory tool kit and chef jackets so that you have your own equipment to work with and wear the appropriate clothing for safety reasons when you come to Palate Sensations. Our classes next year will include:

Chef in Training for Western Techniques, Thai Cuisine, Asian Cuisine (Singaporean Hawker food), Vegetarian Cuisine, Indian Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Bread making, and Chocolate.

Masterchef modules will include Regional French Cuisine, Regional Italian Cuisine, Fine Dining Italian Cuisine, Chinese Cuisine, International Cuisine, South East Asian Cuisine, Japanese and Thai Cuisine.

Chef Sawarto will helm all our Foundations of baking classes in 2012. We will be offering 18 classes divided into Chef in Training, Masterchef and Ironchef. We are still looking for a Pastry chef to join Palate Sensations full time so that they can offer advanced pastry classes.

We will continue to offer one off classes such as dining etiquette, wine appreciation, cocktail & bar tending as well as the popular macaron classes.

We want to listen to your needs so do tell us what you want to learn. We are hoping to streamline our courses and offer classes that build techniques rather than recipes. After all, our aim at Palate Sensations is to bridge the gap between the home gourmand and the professional chef.

We look forward to bringing you professional chefs who will show you the right way to do things so that you can go out there and experiment.

See you real soon!

Lynette

A sneak peak of our outdoor dining area..

2011-09-25T23:14:00.002+08:00

We recently took some photos of our outdoor dining area. I hope you like them. We can seat 20 people outside and 40 inside.

The team behind Palate Sensations today!

2011-08-18T10:39:00.001+08:00

So here we are.. our latest team..

From left, Joel Tan (Chef's assistant), Diana Soh (Studio Manager), Me (The Boss), Charlotte D'Isidoro (Executive Chef)

Masterchef Black Box Challenge @ Palate Sensations

2011-08-12T23:03:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, I specially flew home to attend the Masterchef Black Box Challenge. Most of our students have been with us for 14 weeks, spending 8 weeks in Chef in Training and then a further 6 weeks in Masterchef. The accumulation of this is a challenge they have to complete in their teams. They have to make a 3 course meal for a panel of judges in 2 hours.

In Masterchef classes, they have to wear their Chef uniforms to classes to show their professionalism.

Some of the black box ingredients they can use on the day. The following list was sent to them one week before the challenge:

They will have in the box (MUST use):

Prawn
Peach
Asparagus
Ham
Raspberries
Fresh Artichoke
Basil
Thyme
Potatoes
Micro Herbs
Hazelnut

And either one of the following: (this will be chosen on the day itself and by lottery. You must be prepared to be able to cook one of these items as your main course so please ensure you take this into consideration when preparing your recipes).

Chicken Breast
Lamb filet
Black Cod Filet
Veal Shoulder

Plus any ingredients from the kitchen (not guaranteed).

Some team members cooking away

The menus by the various teams

There were so many dishes which I photographed but I cannot show them all here. This is the winning team's entree - warm artichoke vinaigrette with garlic prawns

Team 2's fish pie with mash & Spanish ham bits served with pesto sauce

Raspberry sorbet and caramelised peaches

The winning team from Team 2 - Amaya, Andrea and Yen

They were so organised they divided their work into categories of every possibility with the required time to cook and assigned responsibility for each dish. Well done Team 2. They won saute pans from Scanpan.

Our Chef in Training sessions will start again on Saturday 13th August with Chef Francois Mermilliod at 2pm. The class is almost full and is truly a rewarding experience. We start with a new batch of students and I can't wait to meet them. It makes me feel like I am back in Basic Cuisine again at Le Cordon Bleu.

Launch of FooD.I.Y App @ Palate Sensations

2011-08-01T16:53:00.001+08:00

Last week, we were very happy to work with Starhub to launch the FooD.I.Y app on I phones and I pads at our studio.

This is the signage

Chef Charlotte replicated some recipes from celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and also provided some of her own recipes for the launch.

Carrot halva

Curried noodles

Watermelon, basil and feta skewers

Chef Charlotte also did a short demo to show case how easy it is to follow and make delicious recipes from the App.

Chef Charlotte D'isidoro, our Executive Chef

The MC was Lavinia and she helped Charlotte talk about how the app works. The app is now available for download. It's free and consists of many easy to make recipes from celebrity chefs as well as from Palate Sensations. We have our own tab with our chef's recipes so do go and check it out. We will be contributing at least 10 recipes a month.

Lavinia and invited guests

Introducing chocolate workshops @ Palate Sensations

2011-07-16T09:04:00.000+08:00

Pastry Chef Nicholas Lam from Pave will be joining us @ Palate Sensations as a guest pastry chef to conduct some serious chocolate workshops for chocolate lovers. A very fun guy with a tongue in cheek attitude, this pastry chef is however, a serious chef in the kitchen.

Nick is a self taught chocolatier whose aim is to learn the true taste and secrets of the Master Chefs. Armed with kneepads and a practiced puppy dog look, he left for Europe in search of knowledge. In Spain, he worked for Paco Torreblanca, the Godfather of Modern Spanish Pastry, earning the nickname of ‘El Chino Loco’ (The Crazy Chinese Dude) and finally helming Pasteleria Totel’s ‘Secciones Bolleria’ (Pastries and Viennoiseries).

Shortly after, he was offered a job at Artisan du Chocolat in the UK. Not content with the industry norm of melting chocolate bought from manufacturers, he jumped at the chance to MAKE chocolate from raw cacao mass. Two Christmas seasons spent studying chocolate science whilst face-deep cleaning chocolate conches and refiners steeled his resolve to one day make chocolates from bean to bar, with someone else cleaning the machines.

Hungry for Michelin experience, he joined 1-Star Yauatcha in London as Assistant Pastry Chef, where Pierre Herme was the consultant. Thereafter, he left for Brussels to be Pastry Chef at Michelin starre¬¬d restaurant, La Frairie. This experience was shortlived as work visas were in short supply, so he returned to Singapore.

Working with Chef Laurent Martin of La Frairie marked the end of his Euro-journey. Never had a carrot tasted so beautiful or a simple dish of cabbage and farro warm a heart so deeply. Chef Laurent was persistent in selecting seasonal ingredients for their genetic purity and cultivation methods. Their scarcity meant creative means had to be applied to wow the eyes and palate, yet maintain their integrity and tradition.

La Frairie brought the whole Euro-journey full circle and the concept of ‘Creative Purity’ arose. This concept, borne from seeking out the best ingredients and transforming them into delectable creations continues to inspire and guide Pavé.

Be prepared for his classes coming up in the second half of the year.

New Executive Chef Charlotte D'isidoro @ Palate Sensations Cooking School

2011-07-13T00:54:00.003+08:00

It's always very sad for me when I have to say good bye to our Executive Chefs at Palate Sensations. Chris Bell will be returning to the restaurant scene in Sydney, Australia next week. He has made a significant contribution to our school with his fun personality and his professionalism. I am excited he will be returning to Australia and I look forward to meeting up with him when I return in December.

At Palate Sensations Cooking School, we always pride ourselves with bringing in professional chefs to helm our studio. With this in mind, we searched all over the world for Chris' replacement. Charlotte D'isidoro joined us on Monday and we are looking forward to a continuance of what Chris has started. Charlotte will bring her own insights on how classes should be run and with a Master in Fine Food and Beverage Management and a culinary degree, Charlotte will take on a significant management role at Palate Sensations.

Born in London but raised in Italy, Charlotte is a frequent traveller whose diverse upbringing is reflected in her cooking. In 2004, after shelving her film degree from London’s Brunel University, Charlotte turned to her all-consuming passion – food – and attended ALMA, Italy’s most exclusive culinary institute.

Following her graduation from ALMA in 2006, Charlotte’s personal vision and taste of Italian cuisine began to develop even further, having trained/worked under famous Michelin starred chefs, including Karl Baumgartner and Luciano Tona. Charlotte’s pursuit for knowledge saw her enrolling into Italy’s prestigious SDA Bocconi Business School, and graduating with Masters in Fine Food and Beverage Management in 2010.

Combing her wealth of culinary knowledge and extensive cooking experience, Charlotte subsequently accepted the challenge to work as a chef consultant at the renowned restaurant 4cento in Milano. Although business at the restaurant was bleak when Charlotte joined, she managed to turn business around and transformed the restaurant into an interesting and well-sought after location for important events once again. The experience left Charlotte with a valuable life lesson – it is important to couple sufficient knowledge the drive to pursue excellence in every field.

Charlotte’s international upbringing has allowed her to travel and develop a deep love, and mad curiosity for food from all over the world. Known to serve up a mean risotto, Charlotte believes in pushing the boundaries and flexing creativity with cooking, so long proper cooking techniques and fresh ingredients are used.. Her eclectic tastes as well as her commitment to healthy eating are at the forefront of her dishes.

In July 2011, Charlotte moved to Singapore to join Palate Sensations. As executive chef, Charlotte will be in charge of running the culinary programmes and advising the Management Team on strategy and business development. Charlotte’s responsibilities will also include helming publicly scheduled classes, creating her own events and handling corporate team bonding activities.

Junior Masterchefs in the making!

2011-06-15T23:38:00.000+08:00

This week, we started the Junior Bootcamp Baking and Culinary classes for our primary and secondary school kids with Chef Angeline Poon for the baking and Chef Chris Bell for the culinary.

It's a one week course and they come every day from Monday to Friday. As both classes are happening at the same time, they get to see and taste each other's creations at the end. The kids have been extremely enthusiastic as they learn how to make and ice their own cup cakes to learning how to chop and make their own soups and salads.

The baking class for primary school kids

The kids in the culinary class with Chef Chris Bell

One of our students chopping mushrooms for mushroom soup

We will definately be repeating these classes at the end of the year so stay tuned if you want to send your kids.

Japanese cuisine at its best..

2011-05-18T10:53:00.002+08:00

This blog was written by participant Pei Lin Lim about the Japanese class she attended:

Chef Amelia demonstrating the cutting technique of the tofu

The dishes taught by Chef Amelia Seko in the Basic Japanese class are those many love ordering in Japanese restaurants. Your friends are bound to be impressed if you serve it while entertaining at home. Also, the basic dashi stock can be used as the base to making miso soup and dipping sauces for the agedashi tofu and tempura platter. It is up to you to improvise and be creative after learning the basics.

The few ingredients for miso soup can be combined interchangeably to create many different combinations for variety. My team mate and I chose to make the traditional tofu and wakame (brought back by Chef Amelia from Japan) miso soup while the other team made theirs with tofu and enoki mushrooms. Both turned out yummy. The intensity of the miso flavour can be adapted to personal preference by adjusting the amount of miso paste used.

The miso paste recommended by Chef Amelia

We ate the miso soup while it was still hot and it served as a very healthy breakfast for me. I had two servings!

Making the dashi stock | Tofu and wakame miso soup

The second dish was agedashi tofu made using Japanese potato starch. This all-time favourite was actually easy to make! The dipping sauce recipe is one that Chef Amelia had adjusted time and again to attain the perfect flavor. Sign up for the class if you want to be let into the secret of the proportions.

Little did I know that the dipping sauce should be drizzled over the fried tofu only when it is very hot in order to melt the potato starch coating on the tofu. Thereafter, the coating on the tofu turns transparent, the way it should be.

The cut up and patted dry tofu blocks | The agedashi tofu

Lastly, we went on to make a wide variety of tempura for the tempura platter which includes, shitake mushrooms, lady’s fingers, lotus roots, and of course, prawns! In addition to this, Chef Amelia included a bonus demonstration for us for making kakiage – the Japanese fried vegetable fritters, using julienned burdock roots and carrots.

The tempura ingredients

Dusted tempura ingredients

Chef Amelia showing us the technique for making tempura batter

The tempura platter

After all that miso soup and agedashi tofu, we were too stuffed to finish up all the tempura and we got to pack some home. Everything we have made in the class was delicious and I have already recreated them myself at home to a success!

The essentials of Japanese cooking

Bonita flakes which were used throughout this class

Chef Amelia Seko teaches Confessions of a Japanese Cook throughout the year at Palate Sensations Cooking School. Her classes are designed to tantalise and awaken your palate. Master the finesse of essential Japanese cuisine, with a step by step guide and an introduction of must have ingredients in a Japanese kitchen. Learn how to prepare the essentials the right way - Japanese style stock and rice.

Kids in the kitchen!

2011-05-08T13:48:00.000+08:00

What better way to celebrate a kids birthday than to get them into the kitchen and start a cook off. Last weekend, Chef Chris held a cooking class for a bunch of eager girls.

Here are the girls with their chef hats and their uniforms all lined up listening to Chef Chris' instructions.

They made some fruit skewers, sushi rolls and some chicken kebabs. Here they are all hard at work with their creative juices flowing.

As a reward, we made the birthday girl Sophia a cake to celebrate with all her friends.

See you next time!

Lynette

Macaron flavours

2011-05-08T13:35:00.001+08:00

This is written by one of our participants Lim Pei Lin about Chef Lynn Chen's hands on macaron class.

I had a great start to the Labour Day long weekend when I took part in Chef Lynn Chen’s Macaron and Petit Fours baking class at Palate Sensations. Macaron is the new cupcake - a phenomenon observed globally. There is not one patisserie in town that wants out in this juicy market. The pastry chefs are getting ever more creative with the flavours and combinations, the rainbow-coloured macaron shells are simply a feast to the eyes. Home bakers try to re-create this elusive treat at home but the results are not always satisfactory.

Chef Lynn demonstrating the making of lemon curd

I have scoured through countless food blogs hoping to find the key to unlock the mystery to making macarons with pretty feet. After umpteen attempts, I threw in the towel and signed up for a hands-on class at Palate Sensations. The tips shared by Chef Lynn throughout the class were invaluable and crucial to ensure success in making macarons. All of a sudden, the daunting task seemed so easy and manageable when you have a professional demonstrate it before you. And you know they say, believe in it enough and it will happen.

Team One getting into the act

The small class size of only twelve participants allows the chef to monitor each participant’s hands-on effort closely to point out, avoid and salvage in time when a mistake is made.

A participant piping her lemon macarons

While the macarons are neatly lined up and drying, the participants got busy with making lemon curd for the macaron filling and another egg white-based cookie - Chocolat Noisette. The differences between the Chocolat Noisette and Macaron lie in the size and type of nut used. The former is bigger and is made with hazelnuts while the latter is, of course, smaller and made with almonds. Before the chocolat noisette were sent into the oven, it gets a dusting of icing sugar and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts. After baking, you pipe a round of ganache and fill the center with a dollop of raspberry jam on one cookie. Sandwich that with an unfilled cookie and you get chocolat noisette.

Another team bursting the air bubbles on the macs while they dry

Baked macaron shells

yummy chewy chocolate noisettes

At the end of the class, each participant gets to bring home about eight macarons and a few chocolat noisettes. So remember to bring a box to transport the goodies home.

How to attend a free class at Palate Sensations

2011-04-18T09:28:00.000+08:00

As you all know, I am leaving for Le Cordon Bleu today so it becomes slightly difficult for me to update the blog with events that are happening at the studio. I am therefore calling on your help.

If you are coming to a class and would like to contribute your photos and a write up on our blog, please send them to me at lynette@palatesensations.com. If your photos and words are chosen, we will reward you with a refund for the class you have attended.

We hope to get many contributions from you all out there!

Happy Cooking!

Lynette

More than raw carrots and celery... going verde..

2011-04-15T09:52:00.000+08:00

From our Vegetarian Chef Shalu Asnani on being vegetarian...

Being a vegetarian today is much easier and a lot more exciting than it used to be, with more and more people being attracted to the benefits of a vegetarian diet. A plant-based diet is widely recognised as a more healthful way of eating, as well as being more sustainable and kinder on our planet! It is possible to follow a well-balanced vegetarian diet and still ensure you are getting all the nutrients typically associated with a conventional diet of meat, poultry and seafood. That means making sure you are eating enough pulses, whole grains, vegetables, fruit and nuts. But in no way does that restrict you to a green salad, dhal or a tofu stir-fry. The wide array of modern, creative and extremely tasty vegetarian food available these days means that you can still eat like a gourmand, be healthy and do your bit for the environment!

New-age vegetarian restaurants are mushrooming all over the world and chefs are experimenting with different ingredients to create a fusion of tastes and textures in vegetarian dishes, for e.g. at the Millennium restaurant in San Francisco and The Gate in London (must-try if you are ever in the area!). These restaurants and many others have discovered a unique way of using fresh, natural plant produce to create mouth-watering taste sensations. In Asia, it’s even easier to do this given the abundant use of fresh herbs and spices in our cuisine. As for me, I get my inspiration from eating local vegetarian fare wherever I travel, and I try to constantly bring new ideas to my classes. I’d like to think that I’m dispelling the myth that vegetarian food is boring and instead, I aim to demonstrate that the variety of dishes you can create is amazing and incredibly tasty. It’s interesting and fun to experiment with vegetarian cuisine, and you can enjoy all the benefits of being healthy without compromising on taste!

Shalu has many classes coming up at Palate Sensations so do check out our website and see you soon!

Lynette

Food Styling Course with Denise Vivaldo

2011-04-14T09:22:00.001+08:00

$1,100.00 USD   on May 12 and 13th 2011

Contact Mandy at mandyscopy@gmail.com for information and to register

Agenda will include:

Fire, Heat & Steam: Coloring charcoal to look ashy and hot; adding flame to food

Frozen Meals: How to heat; how to color; plating and garnishing

Noodling Around: Preparing and holding noodles and vegetables; plating and garnishing

Giving Shape to the Formless: Like mousse, cottage cheese, oatmeal; how to prepare and hold; how to plate and garnish; adding interest to the surface

Fishy Fishy: Trimming for perfect shape; fixing tails; coloring; cooking to achieve the look you want; plating and garnishing

Getting Cheesy: Preparing pizza for cheese pulls; building beautiful nachos

Chocolate tricks: Make it shine with oil or heat; getting the desired consistency for pours, swirls and drips; fixing seized chocolate; when to use thin syrups; when to use thick sauces; stationary dipping shots vs. action dipping shots

Hamburgers and Barbecued Sides: Making corn on the cob looked grilled; making a long-lasting coleslaw; making potato salad look good; holding, refreshing and plating

Grilling Without a Grill: Working with packaged product to make it look great; heating; coloring; getting good grill marks; adding moisture and shine

Ice Cream and Other Frozen Desserts: Working with packaged product like ice cream bars; getting a beautiful serving: plating and garnishing

Pie and Cheesecake: Working with frozen cheesecakes for best result; building a bullet-proof crust; adding texture to cut surfaces; plating and garnishing

Champagne Explosion: How to make that baby gush

Here is a video link to what happened last year. Do join us.

Sometimes you just need to push yourself...

2011-04-13T09:53:00.004+08:00

I have barely 5 days left in Singapore before I leave for Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok. I'm anxious and just a little bit nervous for many reasons. I'm still tying up loose ends at work ensuring that our team is able to continue with no hiccups while I am away. Last week was pretty traumatic with one of my foster cats getting so sick we had to put him to sleep. Another one of my cats had a seizure and had to be closely monitored. Our Executive Chef was away for his annual vacation and we had quite alot of classes happening at the same time with 2 guest chefs filling his spot. Added to that, I left on Thursday to Bali. I do believe sometimes obstacles and adversity happen for a reason. It's there to affirm that when push comes to shove, we can rise above it and just deal with it.

With that in mind, and even with a very tight schedule, I decided to push on ahead and fly to Bali last Thursday with my friend Roberto and our respective partners. The sole purpose of the 5 day trip was to climb Mt Agung which is one of the tallest mountains and the most mystical and spiritual in Asia. I had already attempted it in December but had to stop half way as I was already sick. I don't like to lose or give up so I vowed to return 3 months later to conquer it. Little did I know how tough it really was to push on to the summit. Our guide Gung Bawa was ever the enthusiast and throughout the entire ordeal of 6.5 hours up the summit and 7.5 hours down to the temple, he never stopped smiling even though I ended up screaming at him out of frustration and tiredness. It is amazing what you will do under adversity.

Gung Bawa and I at the summit of Mt Agung at 7am (right)

I don't climb mountains and this is the second time I have ever climbed a mountain. When I was in high school, I loved camping in Australia and we often went as part of the Duke of Edinburgh programme at school. The lessons Gung Bawa taught me were:

- nature can hear you so be kind to it. It will also respond in kind. If you fall down, the stones will break your fall. You just have to believe.

- do not swear as the mountains can hear you. Respect it. As you climb, touch every rock and absorb the energy it gives you.

- when you walk, walk with conviction and confidence. Do not falter and hesitate because the mountain can feel you.

- you need the right frame of mind. Do not ever utter or think the words "tired" and "I can't do it" or "I give up" because the mountain will drag your body down and project exactly how you feel back onto yourself. This was so true. The mind over body is important. On the way up, I kept telling myself "I can do it, just do it, I can do it, just do it" even though I was facing a 90 degree steep wall of rocks with no ropes. On the way down, my knees gave up and I could barely walk down. I ended up scrambling down walking like a crab with my bum taking most of the hit. By the last hour before we reached the temple, Gung Bawa had to hold my hand to help me down. As if that was not enough, I was so tired and frustrated with my thighs that I kept saying over and over 'When does this end?". It was at this moment that the heavens opened up and rain poured down washing away all the tracks and making all the trails slippery and muddy. As I continued to cry out of frustration and anger, the rain got heavier and heavier. When we reached the temple below, I smiled as I was so relieved. The rain stopped as dramatically as it started.

Still smiling as I descended from the summit

As I get older, I really do believe that nature does play a part in our lives. We need to treat it with kindness and respect and if we speak to it, it will hear us. I apply this to everything in my life. When I am frustrated at work because a client is asking the impossible and treats us like their slaves, I know that I just need to chill out and not get angry because things will sort themselves out.

When I had to put to sleep our foster cat Mr Lee, I consoled myself that he would be in a better place and I should be happy for him. This is what nature intended.

We see global conflicts every day and natural disasters happening on a more frequent basis. Perhaps we all need to take a leaf out of Gung Bawa's philosophy and just treat each other with more respect and kindness. Nature is only responding to our out bursts.

My mantra for the past 10 years has been "don't sweat the small stuff". That has kept me sane and allowed me to deal with life and what it throws at me. Even though I am leaving for Bangkok in less than 5 days, I know and I am confident that I will be able to balance my work at Palate Sensations, deal with a new culture and country and being a student again, and leaving my darling cats behind.

As a good friend once told me, "stiff ears".

Lynette

Classes coming up on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th March

2011-03-22T18:23:00.000+08:00

As our website is still being reconfigured and uploaded, here is a list of our weekend classes coming up. Please write to us at info@palatesensations.com if you would like to enroll. We hope to see you soon.

Saturday

Japanese Cuisine with Chef Amelia Seko 10am to 1pm $120

Momotaro tomato salad with goma dressing
Seared Hokkaido scallops with seasonal Japanese vegetables
Yakitori

Ice cream and sorbet class 10am to 1pm $120

Learn how to make your own flavours.

Song of India Cooking class with Chef Milind 2pm to 5pm $120

Chicken tikka
Butter chicken masala
Bombay aloo curry

Sunday

Holistic cuisine - home made chutneys 10am to 1pm $120

Foundations of Chinese Cuisine 10am to 1pm $125

The art of roasting
Roasted chicken
Roasted pork belly
Roasted char siew

Foundations of Baking - Masterchef 2pm to 5pm $130

Tarts
Lemon meringue tart
Chocolate tart
Tart tatin

Cocktail Making 3pm to 5pm $100

Learn how to set up your own bar and make a slew of popular cocktails and mocktails

Home made red wine/fruit wines/sparkling wines and root beer 7pm to 10pm $120

Learn how to make your own and impress your friends and family.

Thank you teacher!

2011-03-17T15:20:00.000+08:00

I always feel good when I receive messages from our participants. This is in response to our Chef in Training classes taught by Executive Chef Chris Bell. It makes what we do worth while.

**********************

Hi Lynette,

I just wanted to say thank you for the "Aspiring Chef" course. Never did I think it would keep me awake for hours afterwords with the amount of information we learned or change the way I thought about recipes. Since taking the course I have accumulated four new cookbooks ( Leith's Meat Bible, Cured, On Cooking, and Thai food) a new potato masher and pasta machine. Chris even tempted me with a bread making class of which I found to be a whole different world to explore. The course may be called "Aspiring Chef" but really it's Chris's passion for teaching that has made it an "Ahh" inspiring course from his technical finesse to his professional tips; he has taken what I thought was going to be a casual cooking class to a new level. I think I can speak for my fellow classmates and say we feel privileged to have had Chris as a teacher and very much look forward to his Master chef course.

Yours Sincerely, Carol Armstrong. (Team Canada)