BQ Korea

It's Korean food, again.

Yes, this must be the second or third time that I've gone Korean, this month. What to do, I really do like Korean food.

Remember how I mentioned that I would show you how a Bi Bim Bab (beef and vegetable bowl) looks like? Well I finally have a picture of it:


Bolsot Bi Bim Bab ($10.90)

So now you see what I'm talking about? I love the colours of the different vegetables and ingredients (mushrooms, zucchini, radish, soy bean sprouts, eggs etc). It comes with a red sweet/sour sauce that you pour over and mix. Under all those ingredients lies a pile of soft sticky calrose rice. Notice the yolk in the centre? Well they purposely left it half cooked so when you burst it, the yellow goodness will flow out. I love my yolks that way. This bi bim bab smelt as good as it tasted and looked. A definite must-try!

The place where I had this delicious Bi Bim Bab is bQ Korea. It's a new contemporary Korean restaurant that opened a couple of months ago. And I got to admit that they do know their stuff. It's the first contemporary Korean eatery to open in Singapore. Previous Korean restaurants I've visited tend to lean towards the traditional old school kind of ambience. This place, however, reeked clean lines and impressed me with their sleek furniture.

And yes, the co-owner is Korean and they have a Korean chef to cook their dishes. So it's really quite authentic. It's my first time dining here and I think I have found my favourite Korean haven. I'm not kidding.

Ate there with my beloved ex-colleagues from I-S mag. Boy did I miss them so much! Really miss the days where we just sat down during lunch and sometimes after work, to chat, gossip and bitch about anything under the sun!

What better way to catch up than over a scrumptious meal and some drinks eh?

Well back to the food.... Joanne had the Kimchi Donkatsu ($9.90):



I found the dish rather interesting. The pork cutlet came with a kimchi centre. Very unique and it complimented the meat, which was a pleasant surprise.

The three guys all had the personal mini barbecue ($12.90) and here's one of them with the fresh raw beef:



That's dear ol' Cenydd by the way. Haha... going by his hungry looks, I'm sure you know what happens next...

What's a bbq without fire?



cool eh? I like the pink 'wax' thingie they used.. and the flame has a lovely orange hue.



this is how the 'bbq set' looked like... and now, here's Cenydd again, to show you how to cook the beef!



He sure has his eyes set on his beef. What a carnivore!



Can you see the beef cooking? It tasted yummy. Best to eat it medium rare.



and of course, we ended the evening with a toast! We had some Korean Soju. It's some grain liquer I think. The alcohol content was about 21%. But heh, I drank very little. I'm quite alcohol intolerant... Prefer Bailey's Irish Cream actually.

The evening was swell and I can't wait to go back there again. This time, I have to try the mini bbq for myself. Thanks Joanne, Cenydd, Lenz and Jan for taking time off to meet up! We should do again, soon...

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bQ Korea
(opposite China Square Food Court)
70-74 Telok Ayer Street
#01-01 Far East Square
Tel: 6536-7703

4 out of 5 burps

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Snowcapped Muffin Experiment

That which you see above is a clue to my recent muffin adventure which ended like a science experiment gone wrong.



I know those snowy marshmallows look innocent but they hide something in them.



chocolate. yea chocolate centred marshmallows. I bought them on impulse a couple of days back with an intention of getting creative again.

I'm sure you've guessed by now what I did next. I tried to make marshmallow muffins.



So what I did was to put those small marshmallow pillows into the centre of each muffin batter. And the result was very interesting. It reminded me of Pinkcocoa Tabetai's Volcano muffins.

She too, tried to experiment and got erupted muffins. I sort of guessed this would happen to mine too, but me, being the one with an inventive streak decided to go ahead anyway. and what I got was snowcapped muffins. Yes, if Pinkcocoa got some volcano muffins, well i got snowcapped ones. Imagine Mt. Fuji... see what i mean:



i wasn't really disappointed actually. if anything, i was highly amused and tickled by this experiment. at least i now know what happens if you actually put marshmallow pillows into your muffins!

Tastewise, it was pretty decent. Except that all the melted marshmallow has surfaced to the top. I used the basic Mix-In Muffin recipe I used previously. So these were moist soft muffins with soft white sticky 'snow' on them. So it tasted exactly like muffins with a sweet tinge to it.



I think I should stop baking like a scientist. But i'm really curious as to how the Malteser Muffins that Chin Ru of Sweet Oven tasted. I'm sure they taste divine. Chin Ru, post up the recipe soon so we all can have a clue on what it tastes like! I will definitely try it out... Speaking of muffins, I was at a cafe and saw them advertising some Cherry Ripe muffins they were selling. Creative huh? I don't think Cherry Ripe is common here (more of an aussie thing), but it's really this dark chocolate with a cherry infused coconut centre. It's yummy. Oh that cafe had mars muffins too! Interesting. maybe i'll go buy some soon and tell of how yummy it is and maybe recreate them myself!

Cook Next Door Meme

I've been tagged, again. This time by Kelli of Culinary Epiphanies and for a different meme. Okie dokie, so here goes!

What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
Well I think that would probably be when I was 11 or 12. I actually joined this 'Home Management' ECA (extra curricular activity) in primary school. ECAs were a compulsary thing and well this particular one was very fun and I did lots of cooking and baking for that. I still remember making rock cookies for the first time, even using puff pastry and making my own bread pizza. It was a blast. I loved bringing those goodies home to show off to my family.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?
I would say my youngest aunt. She's my mum's youngest sister and she bakes very well. Since I was a wee lil kid, I've always been helping her out in the kitchen when she kneaded dough for bread or measure ingredients for cakes. She's such a darling - used to come to my home to bake up some yummy goodies like cheese-cake pie for my birthdays when I was much younger. I guess I've always wanted to be as good at baking or cooking as she was.

Do you have an old photo as evidence of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
Can't find any at the moment but would definitely post it up if I do find one.

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
That would have to be meringues or macaroons. You see, I've always tried making them but they never work. Egg whites scare me sometimes. Overbeat them, and you get slush. I really wonder how people actually achieve those beautiful stiff peaks. I'd like to blame the humid weather here and my lousy mixer, but well maybe I just have yet to master the art of beating egg whites. Though I have always thought that if I had a KitchenAid Mixer, I wouldn't face such a problem!

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown? The most used kitchen gadget would have to be my baking sheet. I bake cookies alot so yes, I have to have a baking sheet. Though I would love to get a Silpat mat. But I haven't seen it being sold here.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!
I am not sure if it's considered weird, but I love mustard and tabasco sauce and I eat it with almost anything. But I still haven't gotten used to wasabi though. I know both are similar in taste but dijon mustard is still my favourite. I love spicy foods and yes, I do put tabasco sauce in soups sometimes to give it that extra kick!

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don't want to live without?
bread, chocolate and pasta

Any question you missed in this meme, that you would have loved to answer? Well then, feel free to add one!

Three quickies:Your favorite ice-cream?
Rum and Raisin. But I also love Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunky. Both have to share the title of my favourite ice-cream =)

You will probably never eat?
insects

Your own signature dish?
my brownies

Question added by Zarah: On average, how many times a week would you cook something to satisfy your sweet tooth?

Too many times. About more than 3 or 4 times.

Question added by Cathy: What do you usually eat for breakfast?
I usually eat fruits and wholemeal bread for breakfast. But lately, what I've been doing is blending apples, oranges, and celery with rolled oats and some yoghurt. It might not sound much, but it tastes good and I feel very healthy after that.

Question added by Alice: What are your stand-by dinner options when you don't have the time or the inclination to follow or create a new recipe?
Sandwich. I love sandwiches and they're fuss-free! Cheese-omelette sandwich with mustard, ham or tuna, lettuce, tomato etc... they all work for me.

And, last but not least: Tag three people!
okay, i'm going to tag Colin again. hope you don't mind doing another meme again!
and J, and also COBOYPB of simple joys.

Muffins Galore!

Are you seeing brown?



can life get any better?


bitten chocolate muffin with lots and lots of dark chocolate

yes it could. and with just one bite of this muffin.

It's no ordinary muffin. It's a chocolate muffin and I call it my chocoholic muffin.

Yes, if you have been reading my blog, you would have been in the loop about my latest muffin craze. The best thing is creating your own. It's really fun to experiment and find out what the end product would be like and whether it would taste totally scrumptious or seriously icky.



so i was thrilled when I found the perfect basic muffin recipe on Epicurious. It's actually a Mix-in Muffin recipe that allows you to play around with any ingredients you might want to add. It suggests mixing banana with chocolate, or dried apricots with poppy seeds etc.

I took this opportunity to get creative and came up with this:


carrot and raisin muffin with cinnamon and nutmeg

It does look healthy but mind you, it tastes good as well. I liked how the cinnamon and nutmeg came through. To make these, simply add grated carrot (about 1 carrot or 1/2 cup), dessicated coconut (1/2 cup), ground cinnamon and nutmeg (add however much you want) to the basic muffin recipe.

Actually there was also anothe reason for all these muffins!

There were more than 4 tubs of sourcream sitting in my refridgerator and I was trying to put them to good use. Why do I have so much sourcream you ask? Well, the youth ministry I'm in actually had a stall at this youth fun fair thing last week and we sold baked potatoes. And apparently they had bought too much sourcream. They had about 10 tubs of sourcream left and well seeing I could well make use of these creams in my baking, I took some home and viola, I had a very muffin-ed saturday morning yesterday.

I was to meet my two best friends Lina and Shiv for dinner in the evening and I brought some muffins along too. These girls loved the chocolate one so much that I regretted not bringing more for them. haha.. nevermind girls, you'll be having cupcakes next week ( i promised them chocolate cupcakes.. haha).

Anyway if you wanna make those chocolate muffins, simply add some cocoa powder to the basic muffin recipe and chopped dark chocolate. I didn't really note down the measurements, but hey, you can't go wrong with chocolate can you? The more, the merrier! But I did do something special and put a chunk in the middle of each of the muffin. That's makes it even more delicious because when you bite into it, the soft chocolate makes your heart flutter.

Just a sidenote: There are many types of muffins around but this muffin recipe gives you rather moist and light muffins (i think it's because of the sourcream).

IMBB #16 - Eggs

The theme for the sixteenth IMBB (Is My Blog Burning) for this month is eggs and kindly hosted by Viv of Seattle Bon Vivant I was really excited when I found out because eggs definite is one of my most favourite ingredient. It goes well with anything! and it's so essential in baking especially.

But my IMBB entry won't have anything to do with baking. In fact, I was checking out recipes and thinking about what I should cook up but eventually decided to just come up with something of my own. I literally just rummaged through my fridge and cupboards for ingredients I could use and just 'invented' this dish as I went along. It's pretty fun. Well I won't reveal the end product just yet. So just follow me through the steps:



Get some tuna (1 can, about 180g) and drain the brine. Boil two eggs till cooked. Chop some scallions and some cooked corn. I boiled my corn whole and took out the kernels with a knife. Alternatively, you can get some frozen ones from the supermart. Include some cheese too.



Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mash them up nice and good. Next, add some sour cream to the mixture and a little mayonnaise. This is to ensure it combines well. Add a dash of pepper and ground oregano if you like. This recipe is free and easy, so please just add your favourite seasonings or spices. Anything goes! Once you have your 'mixture', set aside.



Now, it's time to make some crepes. These are different from normal crepes. This one is made mostly of rice flour. So thus, you end up with rice crepes. Get a cup of rice flour and mix it with 4 tsp all purpose flour and 1/4 tsp salt. In another bowl, mix 3 eggs, 1 and a half cup of water and 1 tsp vegetable oil. Let it stand for about half hour.

Grease an 8-inch (20cm) nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Now get your mixture and sitr well. Pour some batter into the pan for each crepe, about 1/4 cup (50ml) and let it cook for a minute or two. You will know when it's ready when the top is try. Now stack your rice crepes on a plate and cover with a damp tea towel.

Once you're done making the crepes, get your mixture and put some on your crepe. and wrap it up nice and good like this:



tadah! Okay, you can't see much colour from here, but wait till I cut it into half:


Rice crepes with egg and tuna stuffing

... and there you have it. A tasty treat that you can bring with you when you're on the go! These are so easy to make. Rice crepes stuffed with tuna, egg, cheese and corn. A brilliant combination.

I really love crepes and of course, we all know crepes need eggs. I got this simple recipe for the rice crepes from Food Network. What was interesting is that they named it Singapore rice crepes. Now how cool is that? I'm from Singapore but I've never ever heard of rice crepes. They taste like the skins used for Nonya Popiah though. Anyway like I said, eggs are crucial, especially when making crepes, pancakes, cakes, and all. I won't know what to do if chickens/ducks stopped producing eggs! nightmare. and we won't have meringue or creme brulee!

All righty, I'm sure you all know how much I love eggs now don't you? Well I'm really glad this impromptu recipe of mine worked out. My sis loved it so much that she ate two whole rolls all by herself! I will definitely make them again next time.

Cookbook Meme

There's this cookbook meme which has been going around on food blogs all over and Sylvie from Soul Fusion Kitchen has also tagged me to get in on the action. So here goes my answers to the five questions.

1. Total number of (cook) books I’ve owned: Okay don't seem shocked but I have as little as 12 cookbooks. And half of them are hand-me-downs from my parents. Thing is, I'm only a student who's 20, going on 21 and well cookbooks aren't the cheapest things to buy. So technically speaking, my collection is still growing, slowly. Until I have a steady income, I shall continue to rely also on Epicurious and Food Network for the bulk of the recipes I try. =)

2. Last (cook) book I bought: I actually bought two secondhand cookbooks recently, from someone who had hardly used them. One's called 'Healthy Eating' and the other, 'Sensational Vegetable Recipes'. Published by bay books, under the 'Confident Cooking' selection, the recipes in these cookbooks have been double tested by a team of home economists.

3. Last (food) book I read: It isn't really a book, but rather, an e-book. I'm not sure if it counts, but I'll put it down here anyway. It's a delectable e-book I found online. Titled 'Chocology - The Swiss chocolate industry, past and present', this book can be downloaded free and it's actually a pdf. You can actually order it online for free too.

4. Five (cook) books that mean a lot to me:

- Generation to Generation: A heritage of recipes.



This book means alot to me because I was actually part of the team who produced it. When I was still a Mass Communication student at Ngee Ann Poly, I took this bookwriting and publication module which gave us the rare opportunity of actually publishing books for not-for-profit organisations. And this recipe book was a project by some church who had enlisted us to produce this cookbook from scratch and it would contain recipes by their congregation. It was a great pleasure to be able to write and help with the food styling for this cookbook. I learnt alot and I will treasure this book forever. Most of the recipes are actually nonya ones and I got to interview the cooks and talk to them. Very memorable. And mind you, every single photo in the book was taken by my fellow student photographers who used a digital SLR and the quality and concept was superb.

- Practical cookery: Baking (published by Parragon)




Believe it or not, this was the first cookbook I bought. It was a few years ago I think. That was when I started to bake pretty often and wanted to try out more recipes. Because the thing is, my dad doesn't follow cookbooks (he learnt all his cooking from watching his mum when younger) and my mum dislikes cooking. So our shelves hardly had any cookbooks. This one I bought really spurred me on and got me going on the baking craze.

With such a small collection of cookbooks, I only found two that actually meant something so I'll not name five, as requested. I'm not sure about the rules of this meme but I do hope it's okay!

5. Which 5 people would you most like to see fill this out in their blog?

Colin
EatzyCath
Fat Fingers
Sari Party Girl
Lisa

so what are you waiting for guys, get going with this meme now! =)
p.s. if you've already done it, let me know. thanks!

A birthday cake to die for

Are you drooling that? Care to know what's that? Here's a clue:



That's one layer of the cake, unfrosted.



and this is after I've put the 2 layers together and frosted it.

I'm sure you would have figured out what cake this is by now. It's a dead giveaway.

It's sooo obvious it's chocolate.

BUT.

It's not just any chocolate cake.

It is Devil's Food Cake. Oh yes siree.. and... it doubled up as a perfect birthday cake.



Don't you just wish you could have a slice???



well you could.

but you would have to bake it yourself though.

I really have to say that this is really a birthday cake to die for. My friend Francis celebrated his birthday yesterday and I wanted to do something. And since baking is kind of what I do best, I decided why not bake him a cake? And I did. I was actually deciding between a chocolate mud cake, a 'i died and went to heaven' chocolate cake, and this devil's food cake.

In the end, I went with the devil's food cake. Me being the fickle person, I asked my good friend Dot to choose one, and turns out that her choice was perfect. Haha... this is indeed one sinful cake. But who cares? You gotta indulge sometimes don't you?

This devil's food cake is one of the easiest cakes I've made and it looks brilliant. yes it's decadent and seriously chocolatey but heh chocolate is GOOD for you. Like all foods, eat with moderation and you don't have to worry about the flab. Just a slight digression... Dark chocolate is the way to go I say. Valrhona dark chocolate rocks big time. And chocolate is God's greatest gift to mankind. So please do not deprive yourself of this food fit for the Gods.

On another note altogether, yesterday's birthday celebration centred not only on the cake but this:



don't looked shocked. There were about 6 of us there to finish it all. So it isn't so bad. But the food was good. seriously. We ate at Lau Pa Sat where the good satay is. There's like more than 14 satay stalls and the owners have no qualms harrassing you, trying to get you to buy from their stall. We also had chicken wings, sambal kangkong, sambal stingray, and yes a fruit salad to wash all the oil down!

And of course we were stuffed but still had space for the cake. Everyone loved the cake so I guess this recipe's a definite keeper. Might bake it again for another friend's birthday which is coming up in about a week's time! I was certainly very satisfied. I was actually worried it might not taste as good as it looked. But hell ya, I worried for nothing. Evil or not, Devil's Food Cake rocks my world, and everyone else's.

My famous Chewy Centred Chocolate Chunk Cookie

That which you see up there is what I'm known for. Of all my years of baking, I must say that everyone who has taken a bite out of that cookie has only good words to say.

Before you think I'm blowing my own horn, let me just say that when I do something, I put in huge amounts of effort to make sure it's the best I can do. So, admittedly, that process has gone through a lot.

Of course there are times where I try different recipes and customise them but these cookies, oh yes, these cookies have stood the test of times. I've baked them as gifts for friends and family, for my own consumption and also, to parties. And they're a hit. A huge hit. And why am I talking about these cookies now?

Because I want YOU to be able to share these amazing wonders with your own friends and family. Heck, it's as good as the ones made by Famous Amos I say, trust me. Even my own friends tell me that I make good competition. So watch out 'FA', wait till I open a shop of my own, then you'll see!

So without further ado, here's the recipe. I usually make mine chewy because it's delicious that way. Most people make crispy ones, that's why these ones are my trademark chewy centred chocolate chunk cookies. Don't bother about chocolate chips.... chocolate chunks is the way to go! Yes?

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Chewy Centred Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Yield:24

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 degree celcius.
Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.
Mix the rest of the dry ingredients and add in chocolate chunks.
Use a tablespoon to drop cookie dough on to a greased baking sheet.
Bake for approx. 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Once done, let it cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

*What makes the cookies chewy is the cornstarch. Omit the cornstarch and replace the baking soda with baking powder if you want to make crispy versions.
**Cornstarch is the same as cornflour. It's just the way they're called. In S'pore, it's cornflour.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Pancakes are one of my favourite breakfast foods. There is seriously nothing like warm, freshly cooked pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and with pure butter spreaded on to it.

The best thing about pancakes, is that it's also easy to make. But I gotta tell you, the secret to good pancakes is really the batter (duh...) and the consistency of it.

If you get it right, you get this:



I purposely shot one very close-up, with a torn piece. Note how nice and fluffy it is? And the thickness is just right. I got to admit that previous pancake recipes I've tried, didn't ever quite turn out like these.

I've always wondered how MacDonald's get their hotcakes looking so lovely and yummy. But now I know why. I have found out the secret ingredient! Okay, maybe it's not so secret, maybe everyone else knows except for me. Maybe I've been the only one kept in the dark. Alas, it doesn't matter any more! Because I know the 'secret'. =)

Look at the batter and tell me what you see:



It ain't no ordinary batter, mind you. It might look normal, but it really isn't. It's magical! It gives you nice golden brown fluffy pancakes that can rival any others. What's the 'secret'?

Buttermilk!

No, not milk added with butter. But actual buttermilk! Buttermilk is actually the liquid left after butter is made from cream. But the ones supermarkets sell are cultured ones, at least the one I bought was.

Anyway, I was very happy with my pancakes today. I am definitely going to be using this recipe very often. I can't remember where I got it. It's one of those printed recipes I put in my recipe ringbinder. Besides, it's so easy, it took me only a few minutes to mix my batter and another 10 to 15 minutes to cook them. Quick and easy. I ate them after my 5km run this morning and boy was I satisfied.

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Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together first three ingredients. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and whisk well.
Heat a nonstick pan/griddle until drops of water sizzle when sprinkled on to the surface.
Pour batter onto pan in whatever size or shape you fancy. When bubbles form and edges look slightly dry, use a spatula to flip the pancake and cook for another 30-60 seconds, until second side is evenly browned. Makes about 6 pancakes.

*any remaining batter can be refridgerated overnight and the recipe can easily be doubled

Cafe Society

A couple of months back, I posted a review on Cafe Society, based on a previous dining experience there. And I just went back there to have dinner with my aunt yesterday. So here's a more up-to-date review of this 'chic, contemporary, European-style bistro':

On first glance, Cafe Society gives you a somewhat haughty impression. The exterior looks good, the name sounds quasi-casual-posh, and it's situated at a prime area. But after actually dining there, you'd think otherwise.

This classy looking outfit sits opposite Boat Quay, overlooking the Singapore River. Serving both Western and Asian food, they also have an alfresco dining area and a bar on the second floor. It occupies the building otherwise known as The Old Parliament House. This was where court sessions were held and one of the judges' chambers is now being used for private parties and functions.

I have to admit that the place looks rather splendid and half the time, i was simply appreciating the architecture whilst waiting for my food to come.


The kitchen area

We sat indoors, by the kitchen. It's a pretty cool concept. I like to see the chefs hard at work, slaving over the stove, preparing my dishes. Not that I don't appreciate it, of course I do! It's just highly stimulating to be able to know what's going on with your food.


Grilled Haloumi Cheese Bruschcetta with grilled marinate vegetables and blueberry reduction ($13)

For starters, we had the grilled haloumi cheese bruschetta. Now, these were such small beauties that I almost couldn't help cooing over them and calling them cute. The grilled marinate vegetables used were eggplant, yellow bell peppers and sundried tomatoes. I am not sure what marinate they used, but it sure tasted good. Too bad the haloumi cheese was a bit too tiny (just about the size of my pinkie fingernail)but i guess bruschettas are supposed to be small measured. Now, that's not all. Their blueberry reduction was superb, it was a little sweet and tangy. I thought it was balsamic vinegar at first, well maybe they added a little. But really, eating the bruschettas with the reduction was a good idea and the taste that permeates through is delicious. Too bad there were only 5 portions.



Smoked Duck Risotto with basil and parmesan shavings ($26)

As I have never eaten risotto, I decided that it was high time I actually tried some. So I ordered the smoked duck risotto. From my point of view, it was tasty and very filling. As a cheese lover, I have to say I really dig this risotto. They put the right amount of cheese and cream and wasn't too thick or thin. I like the consistency. It tasted much like salted porridge actually. But I adored the presentation. As you can see, they put a sprig of thyme in the middle and decorated the risotto with slices of smoked duck. They mixed some chopped duck and carrots in my risotto too. I was rather full when I finished it, but very happy indeed.


Crab Linguine sauteed in olive oil, garlic, basil, chilli, topped with parmesan shavings ($25)

My aunt chose the crab linguine (thanks to my persuasion) and she was glad she did. This delicately flavoured pasta isn't too heavy and yet the taste was full-bodied. They were very generous with their sun-dried tomatoes and it certainly went well with the whole dish. It was almost tangy, savoury and heavenly. A beautiful main course indeed. The basil came through and it was a pleasant dish indeed.


Trio of desserts - (from top) Mango Mousse, Chocolate Trifle, and Summer Berry Cake ($14)

A meal isn't complete until we have dessert. So we tried the trio. The trio consists of three different slices of cakes as you can see above. My favourite is the summer berry cake, it's not too heavy and rather refreshing, definitely a berry good cake. The trifle was nice but maybe I was simply too full from the risotto, and that's why I found the top chocolate layer too dense. Mango mousse was fluffy and light too, yummy. And yes, we cleared all three cakes.


Vanilla Creme Brulee ($9)


My only gripe for the evening was the creme brulee. Now, as this is one of my favourite desserts, I'm quite picky about the standard. So I was highly disappointed when I found it a challenge to break the layer of caramelised sugar - it was too thick. And when I actually broke it, guess what???

I found white sugar crystals. Lots of it. Apparently the chef didn't caramelise the sugars properly. Either that or he doesn't know how to use a blowtorch. And to think I thought their creme brulee was quite good(based on my previous creme brulee experience when i ate there previously. Secondly, the creme was not up to scratch. It was too soft, like eating melted cream.

I had half the mind to go up to the chef (i was sitting by the open concept kitchen remember?) and enquire about the standard of his creme brulee. I'll just say one thing, if not for the creme brulee, I would have been very pleased with my experience at Cafe Society last night. But I guess I'll be fair and pass off this disappointing creme brulee as a one-off incident that hopefully won't happen again.

On a whole, I think I wouldn't mind coming back to Cafe Society, but maybe I won't order the creme brulee again. I really don't want to be wasting my money. Besides, the service was quite all right, but it could be better.

_________________________________

Cafe Society
1 Parliament Lane,
#01/03,
Old Parliament House
Tel: 6338 7857

3 and 1/4 out of 5 burps

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Corn Crostinis and then some

simple but yummy corn crostinis made by my fifth aunt

Last sunday, I was at my grannie's place and we had a mini celebration of sorts. It's her 70th birthday this week and so, a few of my aunts got together, cooked up some dishes and brought to her place to makan (malay for eat).

My fifth aunt made some delicious corn crostinis, char siew, and durian swiss rolls. When I saw the crostinis, I immediately whisked some away and took a few shots, and that's what you are staring at now. It's her own creation so I don't have any recipe. But if i'm not wrong, she did tell me that she used corn, mushrooms, carrots, coriander leaves, and cheese. I'll check with her and post it here soon. But here's an even closer shot:


can you see the corn, mushrooms, coriander and carrots?

Now, I'm not sure if most of you know this, but I have 7 aunts on my mum's side and the coolest thing is, they ALL can cook and bake darn well. Maybe it's in the genes. Afterall, my grannie is a great cook (I love staying at her place cos I get to eat her delicious food!). But I think, something went wrong when she 'made' my mum.

My own mother simply CANNOT cook for nuts. She hates cooking, dislikes being in the kitchen and dreads having to provide us with lunch or dinner. I still cannot figure it out. That's why I'm always complaining to my cousins how jealous I am of them.

Oh how I envy how my other cousins get to enjoy wonderful food everyday while I have to make do with my mum's rather bland and icky cooking. I know I sound rather mean here, but it's the blatant truth and my mum knows it. She knows she can't cook and she doesn't bother trying. Haha, but oh she loves to eat.

I guess one of the reasons why I love cooking and baking so much, is because I want to be able to produce my own meals and not having to depend on anyone (like my mum). I enjoy good food and I love it when I am successful in my culinary attempts. I also thank God that at least my dad is a wonderful cook. I totally dig his Peranakan dishes and basically anything he whips up. His birthday is coming up soon (this friday!) and I intend to show my appreciation by cooking something for him, but I have no idea what. Anyone knows of a sure-fire dish to win his tastebuds? =)

Anyway, I do think I can credit my cooking and baking abilities to my aunts, especially my youngest aunt whom i'm the closest too. I visit her place ever so often and whenever I do, I'll assist her when she's baking bread or making some chiffon cake. I love her poppy seed chiffon cake!!! It's the best. And her bread? She doesn't buy bread, but bakes her own... so whenever I pop by, they'll always be loaves in the freezer and I love eating them for breakfast.

All right, enough rambling for now. I can simply be thankful that my grannie's, my aunts' and my dad's cooking genes were passed on to me! at least I know I won't have to make do with instant noodles and starve if there's no one at home....

Blueberry Corn Muffins

It really is a shame that here on the tropical island of Singapore, berries are an uncommon buy. Sure, durians, mangoes, lychees, and papayas are easy to get. But berries....

Berries are something else.

I love berries. That's why I wished I lived elsewhere where the climate is colder and berries are as common as apples.

I do think berries are lovely. They're beautiful fruits that come in colours that represent summer and they're a delight to eat. You simply pop one into your mouth, bite into it and feel the juice spurting out and making contact with your tastebuds. Awesome.

Why am I talking so much about berries? Well, that's because I finally bought some, after a long time. Blueberries, to be specific.

I was at Carrefour when my eyes caught sight of this $3.99 sign just above the boxes of blueberries. I thought I saw wrong.

But when I looked closer, it turned out that they were indeed for sale at $3.99. Okay, I know, they're still pretty expensive but hey, it's better than their usual price of $6.90. And one box is only like 6 ounces... which isn't much. It's gives you only about 1 cup.

So I bought a box and for the rest of the day, I was trying to figure what I could make of them. Then it hit me:



Blueberry muffins! I wanted to make a pie, or some blueberry buckle cake but I realised I didn't have enough berries. So I searched for a recipe and found one on Martha Stewart Living.

The recipe looked easy enough and so I attempted to try my luck with some Blueberry Corn Muffins



My first attempt, and i was pretty satisfied. Don't they look lovely fresh out of the oven? The smell was wonderful. There's nothing quite like it.

Okay, I didn't really follow the recipe per se. I made a few changes, but it turned out yummy so I guess all's well. But I do have one gripe though, each portion was simply too small. haha... so I can understand why the recipe was meant for huge muffins, 6 of them. This recipe yielded about 16 small muffins as you can see there.

Next time I make these, I'm gonna do the jumbo size. =)

Oh, and if you read the recipe, you would notice that they asked for yellow cornmeal. Now, I couldn't find any and I was lazy to go hunt other supermarkets, so I did a substitution. I went to the cereal aisle and got myself a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. I'm sure you'd know what I would use it for.

I mashed and used my rolling pin to turn those corn flakes into something similar to cornmeal. I did succeed. After a few minutes of 'hard' labour, I got my one cup of fake cornmeal. And amazingly, my muffins turned out perfect. I don't know how different would it have tasted if I had used real corn meal. But well, I dare say this 'cornflake version' was good enough for me. And i supposed it's a lot healthy? From what the box claimed, corn flakes had plenty of vitamins and all that. Haha...

Anyway I love these muffins and I'll be sure to make them again, well of course, when the berries are least expensive!

________________________________________________

Blueberry Corn Muffins

1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugarplus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
3 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (pounded cornflakes would do just fine)
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

1. Heat oven to 375°. Place a Silpat (French nonstick baking mat) or parchment paper on a baking sheet; place six 2 3/4-by-2-inch pastry rings on it. Cut parchment paper into six 10-by-3-inch strips; use them to line molds (paper will extend above rims).


2. Place softened butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and honey in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs; beat 1 minute more.


3. Whisk flour, cornmeal, and baking powder together in a medium bowl; add to butter mixture in mixer bowl. Beat until combined. Slowly pour in milk, beating on low, until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Divide dough among molds (do not pack too firmly; each will take about 1 cup). Brush tops with cold water; sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each.


4. Bake until tops are browned, centers are set, and a cake tester inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes. Tie kitchen twine around muffins to hold parchment. Serve at once.

Taken from Martha Stewart Living
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SHF #9: Tantalizing Titillating Tempting Tarts

Are you seeing GREEN yet? Cos that's one Very Green Kiwi Tart that will blow your mind. This is my first time taking part in SHF and I was rather excited. Mainly because tarts are one of my favourites. I just love how the shortcrust pastry crumbles in your mouth when you bite into it. Perfecto.



Anyway, you can actually substitute the kiwi with other summer fruits such as peaches and strawberries, or why not a mix of all - i'm sure the colours would be oh-so-lovely.

Jarrett of life in flow is the host of this month's SHF and of course, the tart theme couldn't have come at a better time. This is only my second attempt at baking a tart and I must say, I think I am getting the hang of it. I loved how well the pastry for this kiwi tart turned out. It disappeared really quick, thanks to my hungry siblings!



Not only was this tart easy to make, it sure does look darn pretty. It's something I'd bake for a party. I guess I have Epicurious to thank. They do provide amazing recipes that work like a dream.

This kiwi tart recipe called for some refrigerated pie dough. I didn't have any so I made mine from scratch and have included the recipe here too. Check it out.

___________________________________________________

Kiwi Tart

1 (9-inch) round of refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-oz package), thawed and unrolled or unfolded
6 oz cream cheese, softened slightly
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 firm-ripe kiwifruit, peeled and thinly sliced

Special equipment: an 8 3/4- to 9 1/4-inch tart pan (1 inch deep) with a removable bottom; pie weights or raw rice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Fit dough into tart pan, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and side of shell with a fork.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until edge is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, about 5 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, sugar, milk, zest, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread cream cheese filling in cooled shell and top with kiwi slices.

Cooks' note:Tart can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered.
Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

GourmetQuick Kitchen
April 2005
Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Press-In Crust

This crust requires no rolling; just blend the dough, and press it into the pan. Chill and bake the crust, then fill it with creamy lemon curd for a delicious tart.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for fingers and measuring cup
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Pulse flour, butter, sugar, and salt only until moist crumbs form.

2. Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom; with floured fingers, press evenly into bottom and up side of pan.

3. With a floured dry-measuring cup, press edge of dough firmly against side of pan, pushing down with opposite thumb to level top of crust flush with rim.

4. Freeze until firm, 10 to 15 minutes; prick all over with a fork. Bake at 350° until golden, pressing with a spoon if it puffs up, 25 to 30 minutes; cool completely.

*Note* They didn't specify which kind of sugar so I decided to go with confectioner's sugar a.k.a. icing sugar

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* The round-up of SHF #9: Tantalizing Tillating Tempting Tarts can be found at life in flow *

Going crazy over oats

It is official. I am going nuts over oats. Oops, I think I meant I'm going oatie crazy over these bits of natural goodness.

Yes, I couldn't help but bake something that had oats in it.

Actually, it was a mini-experiment.

I wanted to bake something with oats but not in the cookie form because I've already made those. I wanted something different, with more bite. Something substantial that could be good enough for a hearty breakfast. Not that cookies don't make the cut. I guess I was craving for something else.

It turned out to be muffins.



So I went on to search for an oat muffin recipe. But couldn't find any. I only found one fruit muffin recipe that had porridge oats in it.

Then it dawned upon me.

"Go concoct your own", echoed a voice, in my grey mass.

Sounds crazy, but that's just what I did. and viola. I had my very own Oatie Muffins for breakfast this morning. With lemon curd:



And yes, it did taste good with the curd. Have it with jam or heck, even nutella.

One thing though. This muffin tends to lean towards the dense sticky side. So don't expect something light and fluffy. This recipe is low fat, and low sugar, and therefore very very healthy. So if you like yours with a sweeter zing, do feel free to add more sugar or even dried fruits like cranberries, apricots, figs or hey, add chocolate chips why don't you.

__________________________________________________________________________

Cheryl's Natural Oatie Muffins

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 egg
dash of cinnamon
dash of 5 spice powder
200 ml milk

Combine dried ingredients and add milk.

Add the egg and honey and stir somemore and mix well.

Pour into paper cases and sprinkle some porridge oats on top and put in oven for about 20 minutes at 200 degrees celcius.

Makes about 10 muffins.

*Note: You can use wholemeal flour and skimmed milk if you want it to be even healthier! and do feel free to put however much cinnamon and five spice powder.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

my healthy version of the oatmeal cookie - see the cinnamon?

Oats used to be my least favourite grain. I avoided eating the oatmeal porridge my mum would sometimes make for breakfast. On some days, I'd relent and eat it with butter and cheese. There's nothing like salty melted butter and soft gooey cheese. With those, even mushy oats would taste great.

Now, I can't get enough of oats and I love all grains. That includes wheat and bran. I do like muesli and I prefer the non-sugared ones. Sometimes those with too much sugar can be too overpowering.

It so happened that I had plenty of leftover rolled oats from before and I decided to make some oatmeal cookies. Without chocolate, without raisins. Of course they'll taste better with those, but I had no raisins and I wanted this to be a healthy treat for starters.

I got the recipe from Epicurious and liked that they asked for cinnamon to be added in. Spiced oatmeal cookies sounds good. But I didn't follow the recipe word for word. I halved the sugar (only added the 1/3 brown sugar it called for) and used margarine instead of unsalted butter. But do note that you have to omit the salt from the recipe then. And also, margarine makes for a more softer cookie. I also used more oats (2 cups) than what they asked for, and of course, I added more cinnamon.

The result was spectacular, in a simple warm fuzzy sorta way. You'll understand when you make them and get them warm from the oven. These cookies are cake-like and soft in the centre. You could add black pepper or five-spiced powder if you like and maybe some grated nutmeg.

I would have to say, this is a very basic oatmeal cookie recipe. Which is good, I suppose, as it allows you to play around with the ingredients and adapt flavours as you see fit. You could add maple syrup or even irish cream if you like. I think this is a keeper. Will definitely use it again and customise my own special creation! I'm thinking of chocolate coated oatmeal bars with mashmallows. heh. but that's for another time when i'm having a serious craving for something sweet and decadent.

Manhattan Fish Market

Now doesn't that look oh-so-inviting?

And the best thing is, that was my dinner just now. What you're looking at, is the seafood platter for two ($29.90) which me and Cheryl ate at the Manhattan Fish Market.

Looks rather similar to the one sold at Fish & Co. but allow me to let you in on a secret:

this one is much better!

for starters, this platter includes oysters! and i prefer the garlic rice they serve. The platter also came with some calamari, fries, prawns and fish.

It did taste as good as it looked. and it was rather entertaining too... let me explain why...

when the waiter brought us the platter, he had a blowtorch in his hand. yes yes, i too, wondered what the heck was going on.

then the magic began:

He turned it on and proceeded with heating up the prawns.

Now now, it seemed weird at that time too... I mean, the prawns weren't exactly creme brulee were they? I was highly curious... but sorry guys, couldn't snap a picture in time. I would, next time I promise. It was an interesting sight.

Finally when l i actually got to see and taste the prawns, I saw that they were coated with some creamy white sauce that tasted divine. And I do mean divine. Cheryl would agree with me! It wasn't quite mayonnaise, neither was it tartare sauce. It had a savoury creamy taste to it. Maybe one day i'll ask the chef. Anyway, it tasted darn good with the prawns.

The fried oysters were yummy and the fish was tender and I liked the fact that theirs wasn't too oily. But the portion was really huge. So huge that we couldn't finish everything, though we wished we could. We had to leave some rice and fries untouched.

Speaking of the rice. haha. I was actually so amazed by how they got their rice so fragrant and tasty (i suspect lots of butter and ya, garlic juice/sauce? i couldn't find garlic bits at all though) that I actually started taking a whiff. a waiter saw me sniffing the rice (okay, not my proudest moment) and came over to ask me if anything was wrong. I actually didn't know what he was talking about until I realised that he must have thought that I was inspecting the rice because there was something wrong with it.

Amused, I started laughing and said that it was in fact the total opposite. I loved their garlic rice and was just wondering how they made theirs!

They must have thought I was a weirdo... haha... well anyway, to make up for it, I filled their feedback form and commended the food and yes, i also asked how they made the rice. I left my email address but I doubt they'd let me in on the secret...


the interior



the entrance of the restaurant

And so, both of us stepped out of the place feeling stuffed but contented. I can't wait to come back again and try the other stuff on their menu.

Oh, and look at what they printed on the feedback form:
*The fishes, squids, mussels, oysters, lobsters, prawns would like to thank you for the time taken to complete this form. It makes our living in the ocean more meaningful. Looking forward to become a better dish*

poor fishies....
___________________________________________________________

Manhattan Fish Market
#06-07
Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Rd
Tel: 6835-9300

4 out of 5 burps

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It all boils down to a tea

Coffee or tea? With milk or without? Caffeine free or organic?

What's your preference?

I would almost instantly choose tea over coffee, anytime.

Maybe it's because I prefer something more subtle and relaxing. Coffee can be too strong at times. Although I love the aroma of freshly roasted coffeebeans, tea just seems more intriguing.

Teas are unpredictable. They come in many flavours and makes for a more gentle cuppa. There are a hundred and one teas around: Vanilla, Mango, Apple, Lemon, Strawberry, Peach etc.... It's much easy to flavour tea. Or maybe it's just me. Coffee gives you espresso, lattes, cappucino, macchiato, etc. It would be weird to have strawberry or mango coffee won't it? Of course you can try, but it won't be a marriage made in heaven I'm sure.

Tea captivates me. It's amazing how hot boiling water can morph into a heavely brew in a few minutes with a tea infusion. You have fruit teas, flower teas, herb teas and the list goes on. It's in its own league I tell you.

I could in fact, write a poem-story about teas right here right now:

i was walking home one day
with faye
when i soon spotted a tea shop
i stopped for a moment and looked at the top
There was a sign which went,
"Teas for all and all for tea, why not try some today",
then i remembered about the scones
that mum just baked
for my sake
because it was my birthday
yesterday.
so i entered the shop and
i asked the tea lady
if she had some leaves ready.
she chuckled for a moment and replied,
"missy, teas are my speciality, browse on
and tell me what catches your eye".
so i walked down the aisle
looking high and low
for something that might soothe me so
soon enough, i caught sight
of some pretty little sachets
all laid in a row.
they were pink and pretty
and each came with a bow
with an instant, I picked one up
and went to the lady and asked
"mdm' what's in these?"
and she replied in a split-tea-ing second,
"vanilla my dear, vanilla"
ahh... no wonder it smelled as wonderful
as mum's dinner.
so I opened my purse,
took out some coins,
passed it to the lady and said,
"it all boils down to a tea
and vanilla just does it for me".

okay, that was my half-baked attempt at waxing lyrical about teas. sorry if you fell asleep half way!

back to teas. have you ever tried vanilla tea? if not, you really should. It's a brilliant accompaniment to cakes, especially tea cakes. Try having it with chiffon or just a light butter cake. It's excellent for a relaxing sunday. makes you feel all english. well it works for me. Carrefour sells some.

I bought more tea today during lunch, whilst browsing the food section at Marks & Spencers. Picked up a box of organic lemon, ginger and ginseng teabags ($4.90 for 20 teabags). Interesting mix don't you think so? It's also naturally caffeine free and makes for a 'lively, warm infusion for an invigorating pick-me-up mid-morning or afternoon', so says the package. And I've just made a cup for myself and I have to agree that they didn't lie.



This is one herbal tea that is refreshingly good. It has lemon peel, ginger, lemon grass, cassia bark and ginseng among others. Lovely stuff. I like it already. Now, if only I really had some scones with clotted cream. Mmmmm.... heaven.

*snaps out of dreamland*

now that i've got my cuppa, i feel all revved up and ready to go.

oh, gonna meet my best friend Cheryl Anne for dinner later, I'll be sure to let you in on what good eats we filled our tummies with!

Korean Fever

I'm very curious about the increasing popularity of all things Korean. Am I the only one who's noticed it? Maybe, maybe not.

Lately, there's an influx of Korean movies and suddenly it's hip to be Korean. Girls drool over Korean heart-throbs like Lee Dong-gun and Bae Yong Jun etc.

It doesn't stop there either.

The culinary world isn't spared.

I see more Korean eateries around town and well, their cuisine is certainly catching on - here especially.

I do admit that I'm really not the expert when it comes to Korean food but I do enjoy eating it. And speaking of eating it. It so happened that I had some Korean food for dinner yesterday. Don't have photos though. Apparently I was too hungry and tucked in before snapping a shot.

What I ate was a very unique Korean creation at Marina Square's Food Loft (the newly renovated place looks loads better now). Called the Bi Bim Bab, it's actually rice with a medley of greens (yes, I'm the veggie lover remember?) such as beansprouts, grated carrots and cucumbers and also kai lan. There was also mushrooms and spicy chicken. All this was put together neatly around a mound of rice and topped with a fried egg - sunny side up, in case you were wondering.

That's not all, what was even more special, was this red sauce that they splashed on... no it wasn't ketchup and neither was it chilli sauce. It had me rather intrigued. It tasted almost like 'miso' (fermented soya bean paste' but yet, it had a tinge of sweetness to it. Maybe I'll quiz the chef next time.

This Bi Bim Bab came with a saucer of kim chi and salted ikan bilis (anchovies) which I added in... I didn't really know the right way to eat the Bi Bim Bab, so I simply mixed eveything up with the sauce. and added plenty of chilli powder. The end result? A lovely mix of sweet, sour and spicy. Just the way I like it. Awesome stuff. And it was healthy too! =) Anyways, I'll be sure to take pictures the next time I eat it again.

If you think that was the end of my dinner, think again.

Being the dessert lover that I was, I had to have my cake and hmmm devour it?

So after exploring the rest of Marina Square, me, and my makan buddy mike settled for this new cafe which coincidentally had something to do with Korea.

I was rather amused with the coincidence... didn't realise it only much later.

Got to confess that I actually decided to have dessert at the cafe because they had sofas. I'm a sucker for the 'comfy inviting sofa-laden' type of cafes. Please don't laugh. I just think that when it comes to chilling out, the right way should be on comfortable furniture sans cold hard chairs.

Anyway, as I was saying, this was actually a Korean Lifestyle Cafe called "People Say".



Really, don't bother asking me why they called it that. It's supposed to be a franchise of an actual cafe in Korea. It's supposedly the only Korean cafe in Singapore. heh. and I discovered it! not that it's a major achievement.

No, they don't really serve Korean food. But rather, just your usual cakes, sandwiches and coffee. But the best thing was the promotion they had on. I don't know how long it's going for, but they actually told us that we get a free Americano (worth $2.90) when we buy any slice of cake. Not that their cakes looked fantastic or they had a great variety but it did seem like a good buy. And seeing that I can't say no to some coffee and cake, we settled there, and yes on a sofa... with cushions.

I had the opera cake ($4.90) whilst mike had an american cheesecake ($4.20). I got to say that the cakes were pretty decent. Nothing to write home about but pleasurably delightful enough to satisfy my sugar craving. We actually changed our Americano to a Latte (had to pay $0.50 extra because lattes cost more) and proceeded with some indulgence.




The cheesecake wasn't too heavy and too creamy. It had a nice smooth texture that crumbled ever-so-lightly at the gentle prodding of my fork. This one didn't have the typical digestive biscuit base. Instead, they used a soft white sponge cake... i think. well it tasted like it. The cake went well with the latte of course.



Opera cake looked much better than the cheesecake simply because of it's multiple layers. And you know what? there's actually some history to opera cakes. Apparently it was concocted back in 1903 by Louis Clichy in the Exposition Culinaire in Paris. Formerly named 'Clichy', it was renowned Parisian patisseria Dalloyau who renamed it 'L'Opera'.



If you think this cake sounds delicious, wait till you hear what it's actually made of. The cake has a total of 7 layers (wow) and three of which are coffee-soaked joconde (almond sponge cake), two, of coffee butter cream, one of ganache and the last one of chocolate glaze.


Go ahead and count the layers! There are really seven...

See, didn't I tell you it was a work of wonder? I got to say that I was won over by the top most layer of chocolate. I'm not sure if the cafe makes it in-house, or actually flies it over from Korean (heh i highly doubt so!) but i was quite impressed with the quality that I was almost sorry to have under-estimated their value.

And so, that cake certainly made my day. I would be lying to you if I said it didn't. This certainly won't be my last time at the cafe. It's ambience is enough to make you want to say till it closes (well i did)...but just a slight warning.. they play Korean music that can be quite irritating (or maybe it's just me, because I usually prefer jazzy, classical music when I'm chilling at a cafe).

For more about Opera cakes and if you're looking for a recipe, check out A La Cuisine's in-depth description and comments on this musically talented cake (sorry, couldn't help being cheesey here) that's so good, it'll make you sing as well as an Opera singer.

______________________________________________________________

People Say
6 Raffles Boulevard
#03-257 Youth Zone
Marina Square

3 and a half out of 5 burps

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Ichiban Boshi

Boy, you got to admit, those california hand rolls ($1.90 each) look rather good! One thing I can't fanthom though, is why are they called california? shouldn't it be japanese hand rolls? makes no sense. anyway I had these at Ichiban Boshi at Wisma Atria a few days ago, together with lots of other yummy jap eats. It was a get-together dinner with me and my two dearest cousins who are like sisters to me. We had a blast ordering so much and eating to our heart's delight and the best part was the price. It was really reasonable. Read on to see and imagine how delicious the food was. And maybe you might just be tempted to rush down right away!



Soft shell crab tempura ($5.30). I know it looks rather weird here. However, they do taste great. It came with a bowl of soya-like sauce, which of course, complemented the tempuras. Yes, kinda unhealthy, what with the oil and all. But hey, it's not like I eat this everyday ya?



My favourite: Edamame ($1.90). In case you didn't know, those are soya beans. The beans are still in the pods and they're green. I love all things soya, so it was only natural that i ordered these.



Of course, who can forget sashimi? This salmon sashimi ($5.30) we ordered had a rich orange reddish hue, as you can see. Slices were thick and fresh. A pleasure to eat. I love the tenderness of it as I bite into the soft raw flesh. Yes I do have a thing for raw fish. But I actually only picked it up recently. Now I actually prefer raw salmon to cooked ones. And hey, they're pretty healthy.. plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids. But of course, one can't eat too much of it.



Didn't want to make you guys do so much scrolling, so i put the pictures together. And there you have it, an assortment of sushi and such. Clockwise from top left: spicy ebi, salmon kawa roll, vegetable roll and samon sushi. All these were at $1.90 each.



Here's more of what we ate... I don't remember the all the names but the one at the top left is actually potato croquette. It's like breaded fried mash potatoes. There were corn kernels in it. Superb. And of course the rest of the sushi rocked too. Also at $1.90 each. Ain't that cheap?



And this was how the place looked like. Not bad eh? The ambience was casual chic. You wouldn't have thought the prices were reasonable if you'd only looked at the place. It's really value-for-money. The sushi is really good and if you sit away from the conveyor belt, you can simply order a la carte and they'll make it fresh for you. Marvellous. I'm definitely going back.

____________________________________________________

Ichiban Boshi
Wisma Atria
#03-15
435 Orchard Road
Tel: 6734 7277

4 out of 5 burps

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Kiwi Jam

It seems like it's suddenly kiwi season. Every supermarket I go, there'll be crates of those little furry fruits. They're suddenly more cheaper than usual and in abundance. So of course, I had to take advantage of that. My very close friend Lina has been hunting high and low for kiwi jam for the longest time. And I decided this would be a good time to put these kiwi to good use and surprise her.

Not too bad an attempt I'd say. My first time making jam. Bought some pectin powder the other day and well, seems like i've put it to good use. I hope to be able to make marmalade next... or strawberry jam. They make good gifts.

Here's the recipe if you want to taste some kiwi goodness:

Kiwi Jam

3 cup chopped kiwi
1 pkt powdered pectin (about 1 and 3/4 ounces)
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
4 cup sugar

Combine kiwi, pectin, and pineapple juice in large pot.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.

Return to a rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust lids.

Process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.

This recipe yields 8 jelly jars or 4 half-pints.

Taken from Food Down Under.

*Note* You might want to cut down on the sugar. I used only a little more than 2 cups and still found it too sweet. Depends on your preference i guess.

Dharma's Kebabs & Bakerzin's Sinful Treats

Doesn't those 'tube-like' red things look darn interesting? I think they're rather unique. Those are Shish Kebabs ($13) by the way. It's made out of lamb. Though the colour might look a tad too unnatural, it tasted all right. Not as delicious as I would have expected 'tender lamb' (well that was what the menu stated!) to be. It looked very 'manufactured'.

Anyways, in case you were wondering, the kebabs are from Dharma's Kebabs down at Boat Quay. Went there for dinner with fellow local food blogger Julia of Aroma Cookery. It was the first time meeting her but i'd say we hit it off right away. I do think that it's definitely because of our interest in food.

We actually didn't know where to dine (hey don't blame us, there are just too many eateries in S'pore!) so I suggested Dharma's because I've heard about the place and well they were featured in a few magazines. Besides, Julia has never eaten there before, and me neither so kebabs it was.




This one here is chicken tikka ($14). I got to admit that I prefer the tikka more than the shish kebabs. somehow it was in it's natural form which I could recognise and I liked how they marinated it. The sauces were a definite shoo-in. The orange-brown one there is actually curry, albeit a little thin. The green one there is actually mint sauce. Good combination of sauces... allows diners to choose the spicy or non spicy route. Well and it was to no surprise that i lapped up all the sauces.

Ahh and then there's the flat bread. Those were wonderful breads i must say. The one that came with the shish kebabs were stuffed with potato (yes, you guys know how much i love potatoes!) and they served the garlic one with the tikka. Both flat breads had a very soft fluffy texture to them and it was lovely to tear up and put them slowly into my mouth. I think this has got to be one of the better flat breads i've tasted. Thumbs up for the bread! Tastes great with the sauces too.

Well all in all I would say the food at Dharma's was reasonably yummy. Maybe we should have ordered the beef tenderloin (heard lots about it) or maybe even the mixed platter which has an array of meat. Thing is, there was only the two of us and i doubt we can finish so much food... So maybe i'll drop by next time to try out the other stuff... The wedges look good too... we saw many diners ordering that.

After we were done with our dinner, it was time for....

yes dessert! my most favourite part of a meal.

we had to satisfy our sweet tooth. so off we went and look what we filled our tummies with:





That's the Coeur Noir ($5.20)! I chose that after standing for quite some time at the display casing. Yes yes, i can be quite fickle.... Seeing that Bakerzin has plenty of good quality desserts. In case you didn't know, i'm a HUGE fan of Bakerzin and have tried almost ALL of their desserts. I even have their 'PURE INDULGENCE' member card!

okay as I was saying, i finally chose this little heart shaped dark chocolate mousse dessert. It was such a pretty thing that i couldn't bear to poke my fork into it. I spent quite a great deal of time admiring it.

But i knew i couldn't just sit and stare at it for the rest of the night, so i dived in and man, there was no need for words. My eyes expressed it. I was on cloud 9. I adore dark chocolate and this coeur noir was definitely down my lane. It not only looked good but tasted good as well. Here's a description of it taken off the Bakerzin website: "Layers of dark chocolate mousse and sacher sponge, with brandy cherries and hazelnut dacquoise at the base". Yummy. If only they had a bigger sized one. I know I would be able to finish it!

Oh, but if you're thinking that was good... wait till you hear about the next one:



This has got to be my all time favourite dessert. This Warm Chocolate Cake ($9.50) is a must-try. Anyone who dines at Bakerzin has to try this. I managed to convince Julia to order this. She was actually deciding between this and the chocolate souffle but the voice in me told her 'order the warm chocolate cake, go ahead, you won't regret!"... and the rest, as they say is history.

I do believe she's now a convert... am I right Julia? You should have seen both our faces when our tongues made contact with the brown morsels dripping with real vanilla bean ice cream. It was pure ecstasy. I got to tell you, I could get high on warm chocolate cake, believe me. We were walking on air for that instant. It's a brilliant dessert and well I shouldn't hard sell it too much... You should simply trust your instincts, follow your heart and head down to Bakerzin to get one yourself! =) and tell me about it. I trust that you'll love it. Well if you don't, then you can redeem some chocolate chip cookies from me. Deal?

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Dharma's Kebabs
40 Boat Quay
Tel: 6534 5100.

3 and half out of 5 burps



Bakerzin
1 Fullerton Road
#01-04 One Fullerton
Tel: 6438 8700

4 out of 5 burps

*they have other outlets at Paragon, Millenia Walk, Atrium@Orchard (Beside Plaza Singapura) and United Square

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Chickpea & Cheese Omelette Sandwich

Sick of eating out so often for lunch, I decided to make my own mid-day meal yesterday. It's a very simple sandwich that I concocted in the morning. Dad had boiled a huge batch of chick peas the day before and I took the opportunity to make good use of this morsels of goodness.

Not sure how many of you are familiar with chickpeas. They're also known to Singaporeans as 'kacang puteh'. The 'steamed nut-like' snack you buy in a paper cone and bring with you when you watch a movie at the cinema. Okay, maybe that's not a common sight anymore. Most people would rather buy a box of high-fat buttery popcorn. Hmmm not that it's an offence. hahaa... but I still prefer my good ol' kacang puteh.

Okay back to those chickpeas as they are known in the English language. Chickpeas are actually legumes. Much like dhal and what not. My first encounter with chickpeas in a totally different form was when I was in London. I don't know why, but I had alot of mediterrean food there. And it always comes with 'hummus'. Hummus is actually a paste made from chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), olive oil and some other spices. It's a very common dressing when you order your turkish wraps or kebabs.

Any how, I didn't have any tahini at home, so I thought why not just use the chickpeas themselves. So I went to get the blender, added a wee bit of water and a spoonful of yoghurt (to moisten the peas, thus making it easier to blend) and off it went! I had some lovely mustard yellow colour paste. I seasoned it with ground oregano, black pepper, garlic powder, chilli powder, and some cinnamon. Yes if you don't know by now, i'm quite big on spices, so I always have some around.

But then, eating the semi-hummus with bread would be quite plain wouldn't it?, thought I. So I opened the fridge, saw some cheese and eggs. And viola, egg omelette appeared in front of me.

All right all right, it wasn't that magical. I don't have my own personal genie, or rather, personal chef. So I fried the omelette. I love cheese omelette. I love the gooey-ness of the melted cheese.

And so, I had my chickpea and cheese omelette sandwich after I spread the semi-hummus on to the pieces of wholemeal bread (told ya I was healthy =p) and placed the omelette on top. Then I remembered, TOMATOES! who eats sandwiches without sliced tomatoes!

So my quick hands found some juicy red tomatoes and off I went slicing it. I added them to my sandwich and there you have it - my lunch.

Trust me, it was filling enough to be a lunch. I brought it to work and refrigerated it.

When lunch time came, I whipped it out and took a bite and man, was I enjoying every bit of it. Though it might be healthy, heck it was certainly tasty as well. I have the cheese and the spices to thank. you can never go wrong with those two! Oh, and I had the sandwich with a cup of warm thick Milo. Awesome. It was a simple lunch, very nondescript, but satisfying, I would like to add.



More sandwich days to come.... for me, I should fanthom.

Lunch & Such

my desktop at work. notice my wall paper?

Which is your favourite meal of the day? Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Dinner or Supper? I'm sure most would choose the latter two. I think it's all skewed. I mean, we're told to eat the most for breakfast, alot for lunch, and the least for dinner. But if you go back and recall what you ate yesterday, i'm sure you'll find that dinner was heavier than lunch and breakfast. Nutritionists and dieticians will tell you that it is crucial to eat plenty of nutritious foods in the morning (that includes carbs, fibre, vitamins and what not) because you'll need the energy to get you through the day. And of course, for those keen on losing weight or staying trim, would be told to eat lesser during dinner especially. Thus, suppers and late-night pratas are out. I do think that's kind of sad. It's not far! I mean, look, people usually meet up with friends after work during dinner and it's only natural to eat delicious (and sometimes sinful) food. So who cares about having to eat lesser during dinner? No one, really. Well except those who can't stand having an ounce of flab i guess.

I'm honestly one of those people who do it all inversely too. Or rather, I used to. I find myself getting hungry at night and always open the fridge and cupboards in search for some munchies. That's bad I know... trust me, haha i can tell the difference. I notice when I omit supper from my daily food intake, i'm less 'wide'. it's all in the science my friends. our metabolism slows down at the end of the day and night is the time where we're all supposed to be sleeping, so eating that pack of chips or devouring that hokkien mee and rojak ain't gonna do you no good. OK, before I sound like a long-winded mum, i'll just have this to say, a healthy lifestyle is crucial. EVERYONE wants to look good, everyone wants to live a life sans illnesses that plague them and I doubt anyone wants to die young, or ahem from a heart attack. I might sound harsh here, but hey, that's the blatant truth.

You must be wondering what all this talk about healthy food is about? haha... actually it just came across my mind. because i have friends who think that i'm a health freak (not!). maybe it's because I have an affection for anything green and leafy! Actually i love vegetables, and fruits. Yes. I can just order vegetables from the 'mixed economic rice' stalls at food courts and be very very contented. Weirdly, I wasn't like this when I was younger. Well I didn't hate vegetables, but I certainly stayed away from some, like bitter gourd, eggplants and leeks. As I grew older though, I found myself loving veggies even more. And I now eat bitter gourd, eggplants and leeks ever so often. In fact, egg plants are now one of my favourite vegetables. I order it everytime I eat 'yong tau fu'. And yes, i do like to roast it! and thanks to persephone, I am going to heed her advice and make some Greek moussaka soon. It's a lasagna-like dish that uses eggplant and bechamel sauce. how cool is that? =p

All right, yes, I'm a veggie lover and I cannot live without my fruits. I eat fruits every single day. Yes, perhaps that's why I don't fall sick that often? I usually blend them together and just drink it up. By the way, I eat up the fibre too. I don't believe in drinking just the juice! it's a real waste. Me dad just bought this beautiful blender from Philips and I've been using it. Go try blending natural yoghurt with banana and papaya or any fruits.. it'll definitely taste fab.

But alas, though I love my fruits and veggies, I also love getting my regular sugar fix. Yes, i'm a chocolate fanatic and I have a sweet tooth.


yes this sinful chocolate eclair ($1.35 ) from Four Leaves is one of my weaknesses

And as you can see by what I bake, I have an affinity for baked goods too. Cookies, cakes, biscuits, desserts and all are so my thing! I cannot resist some good Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daaz. If you ask me to choose between eating the main course and just having dessert, heck, I'll just take the dessert, any time, any where! That's how bad / or good, it is. hahaa.. so it's a win -lose situation. That's why I think I do contradict myself sometimes. But hey, I do think it pans out well. After all, I can't just live on fruits and veggies alone can I? I'm no vegetarian but i admit that I can live without meat. I'm not that much of a carnivore, although, yes yes, i love a good rack of ribs (the ones at Billy Bombers & Kenny Rogers rocks) but I can easily abstain from them by choice.

For the past two months or so, I've been eating out alot. That's because of my temp job at one of the telcos here. The office is in town, therefore I have so many choices. That makes it even harder. And you know how hard it is to eat healthy when you're dining out. But it's fun anticipating what to eat for lunch everyday. Here are some of my favourite picks from my lunches that I've eaten for the past weeks.


Handmade 'char siew' rice rolls ($3.50) from Killiney Road. Highly recommended. The skin is thin and it melts in your mouth!


Curry and Tempura Udon from Sanuki Udon (their udon is handmade) - avail. at S11 cuppage and Scotts food court.


Chicken with onion + fried egg and bak choy $4 - Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen


Bobosho! ($3) It has a very cute sounding name. Made from radish and mushrooms with dried shrimps. Rather healthy. (from Centrepoint's 7-11)

As you can see from my sample of lunches here, I try to eat as healthy as I can. Most of the time, I just order yong tau fu from this amazing 'Orchard Yong Tau Fu' stall. It's just inside Cuppage Plaza, at the corner. It's always packed. And there'll be a long queue waiting religiously during lunch time everyday. it's cheap too. 8 pieces for $3.20. and I love the soya beans that they add to the soup.

Allrighty, that sums up my discourse about lunch. hahahaa.... i always thought of lunch as being the most boring meal of the day, but then again, I think I thought wrong. I'm a convert. Lunch is so my thing now.

Homemade Lemon Curd and some nostalgia

Made some lemon curd 2 days ago on a bright and early saturday morning. It was an impromptu decision. I was in a rather lemony mood. But we didn't have any more lemons at home so out I went to the market to get me some. I must admit that it's been ages since i went to the market. and i don't mean the supermarket. i'm talking about the old school wet market. the ones where you can smell the fishy fish and get fresh produce at a much cheaper price than at supermartkets (my 6 lemons cost me only SGD$2). it was a blast from the past. i remember accompanying my mum to the market when i was younger. i would purposely wait out while she chose her fish. I couldn't stand the smell...besides, the floor was always all wet and grey. but i liked the other parts of the market though. choosing fruits and vegetables. the best part.


the fruit stall where i got my lovely lemons

my, this reminds me of the market I visited when i was holidaying in London 4 years ago. I think it was called Spittalfield's market. If my memory doesn't fail me that is. i loved the entire concept! it's a much better version than the wet market in Asian countries. This one was in a huge wide sheltered place with neat rows of stalls and lovely goods including freshly baked bread and knick knacks. Very British I must say. I adore London. In fact, i'm in love with the place. I know I'm going to migrate there someday and get myself a lovely quaint cottage with an apple tree and grow some sunflowers in my garden. and yes, i will definitely have a herb garden too. then i'll have all the basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme etc i want. those are the dreams. am i building castles in the clouds? maybe i am, but trust me, one fine day, i will have my scone and eat it too. in fact, i do intend to do my post grad studies in the UK after I finish with my Bachelors. I seem to be planning way in advance i know, but it doesn't hurt ya? Oh, speaking of UK. if you're ever in Brighton, try the Harry Ramsden fish & chips. Superb. i think they have other outlets elsewhere in the world, if i'm not wrong. the chips aren't chips, but wedges. how cool is that. =)

haha okay enough reminiscing already... now back to my home made lemon curd... It was my first attempt and i must say it turned out really well! i'm so pleased with the result. I first tried lemon curd last year at a cafe and was delighted with the refreshing citrus-y taste. it's actually like kaya (a jam made from coconut and eggs), in terms of texture and consistency.





But seriously, lemon curd is in a league of its own. The colour is a brill semi-milky yellow and it's thick enough to look good when spread on bread. i used a total of 6 lemons for this. actually had to grate the zest of all 6 lemons and squeezed 4, for the juice. my hands were rather tired after that, but boy was it all worth while. lemon curd is simple to make and very satisfying. it contains some butter (unsalted), and that explains the semi-buttery feel. it's a good combination, me thinks. you have to try it for yourself to know what i mean.

i'm not sure where lemon curd originated from. i think from Britain. I just like the idea of sitting down on a lovely saturday morning, with my pot of tea and eating lemond curd spread on scones! heaven... well i didn't have scones at home so i settled for bread and crackers. i must master the art of scones too.

geez there's too many stuff that i want to make! but so little time! i have molten choc cake, creme brulee, souffle, on my list already. the more i come across excellent recipes, the more inclined i am to make them. ahh... well this is the art of food i guess. it just so happens i love the adrenaline rush that cooking/baking involves. get what i mean? it's the anticipation of the final product. it's just an exciting process. i'm thinking of having a dinner party soon. maybe with fellow food bloggers? just a passing thought. we could have pot luck at someone's place. hmmm. that'll be good!

anyway, just realised my 21st birthday is coming up! Only next month... and i have to start planning. i'm intending to cook and bake some food and also rope in my aunts - they're great cooks!. I shall ask them to make their specialities and bring them to my party.

hahaa... i'm rather excited about this whole thing. after all, i haven' really had a birthday party since .... since a long time actually. i think the last time i had one, was when i in kindergarten? gosh... sounds pathetic. the past few years were worse. i didn't really celebrate at all. was too busy with school work. one year, i was simply slogging over the computer, typing furiously on my birthday, in a bid to rush some important assignment. what to do, i'm a workoholic. it's a win-lose situation. heh. but THIS year, this year's an exception. I'm not in school YET. so i must celebrate while i can! I start university on August 1st actually. Geez, that's like only 3 days after my birthday. well then i guess my birthday party could double up as a celebration of starting life as a student once again. okay, that said, am going to start doing up the menu! and do expect plenty of pictures of the food, after the party! =) so stay tuned...

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Lemon Curd

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.

Note:
• Lemon curd keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week. Makes about 3 cups

Recipe taken from Epicurious
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A Baker's Excitement

Many things excite me. Me, being the die-hard baker that I am, I tend to love flipping through baking/cooking/food magazines. Whether it be the library or the bookshop, I normally dive straight into the food section. Maybe I'm just this maniac who finds sweet solace in burying her nose in any thing that looks like it would taste like heaven. i wonder how heaven would really taste like. considering if one can actually taste up there. heh. anyway, it's to no surprise that I bought a recent issue of Donna Hay's Magazine when I was browsing at Times Bookshop. I got to admit, it's my first time reading it and I was so bowled over that I actually bought it! Paid SGD$9.90. It's quite expensive for a magazine but it's darn worth it. There's like so many different recipes ranging from fuss-free lunch/dinners to baking pies, cakes and even souffles. The photography is impeccable. Looking at the front cover already makes you drool. It says alot. It practically drawed me to it. I know I'm going to have a great time trying out the recipes one by one. Look out world, here I come.... to bake/cook/eat more yummy eats.



Take one good look at this photo. Need I say more? This is the ultimate ingredient every baker must have. It's 10 times better than vanilla essence or vanilla extract. But it's kind of sad that down here in tropical Singapore, we hardly see vanilla pods. They're not a common sight. In fact, this was the first time i've seen it. And I knew I just had to buy them. Got it from Phoon Huat, this amazing one-stop baking needs store. It's very expensive. Those 3 tiny pods cost me about SGD$4. That's like only 8 grams of vanilla pods. *Sigh* what to do... it's a rare sight and I know it's money well spent... now, i just have to find the perfect recipe to use it. might try out vanilla creme brulee. Mmmmm....



If you've noticed by now, this post is mainly about what has got me all excited this past week. I've spent quite alot buying ingredients and equipment for new stuff I'm planning to bake. But what can I say, I do think it's worth it. Take this Tart Tin for example. I just learnt how to make tarts and I do like how it's so easy and delicious. Therefore, I decided to invest in a proper tart tin and viola, there you have it. my first tart tin. =) yes yes, I know most of you would already have had a tart tin since god knows when... but hey, tarts are my latest foray and I do regret not making them before! I'm now a tart convert. hahaa....

anyway look out for my upcoming post on TARTS... yes... that's the theme for the upcoming Sugar High Friday: Tantalizing Titillating Tempting Tarts. It'll be my first time taking part! had wanted to participate previously but was too busy.. but now, the tart theme could't have come at a better time! so i have to take part of course...

Amazing Caramel Corn and Eggy Tarts

Ta-dah! I finally made caramel corn. It's been on my 'must-do' list since god knows when. I do like caramel. I guess it's second nature, since i have such a sweet tooth. I didn't know caramel corn was this easy to make. I do have The Amateur Gourmet to thank of course. I read about his 8 caramel corn failures on one of his posts and well, just a few days ago, he finally found the perfect caramel corn recipe from a certain Christine who had a recipe that actually worked! and Viola, he got his caramel corn right for once! and i got so inspired that I knew I had to make some for myself. And there you have it, some delightful crunchy caramel pop corn.

I love how the butter mixes so well with the sugary goodness. It's a mix of sweet and salty i guess. You can never go wrong with butter... it's one of the best things on earth... there'll be less delicious cookies and cakes around if there was no butter! so ya...

oh boy, i do know that this isn't the last time i'll be using this caramel corn recipe. Thanks Christine and Adam! haha you guys rock... at least now, i can have lovely caramel corn anytime, anywhere... especially it's not found that easily in Singapore.

Okay, enough about corn, next up, something yellow, something a little custard-y and delicious!....



Egg Tarts! Yes yes, I know, I FINALLY got down to making them. I've been wanting to make these ever since Fat Fingers made hers. But I didn't use her recipe though... I found this other one from Trisha which looked simpler. Thing is, I don't have any custard powder and was rather lazy to buy some, so I used Trish's recipe which only asked for eggs, milk and sugar for the custard filling. And as you can see from the picture, it turned out fine and dandy.

Yay... I've finally learnt how to make egg tarts after procrastinating for so long. Thing is, i enjoy egg tarts very much especially those with a thick crust and lovely gelled custard. Now that I know how to make them, I can tweak the recipe and have it made just the way i like it. Now how cool is that?

Haha... i think i'm on a baker's high. i feel a sense of achievement... lol... okay, maybe it's not much of an achievement but still, i am happy. Real achievement is when i master the art of making puff pastry or phyllo dough, i tell ya.. that's a real feat. maybe i'll get to learn it properly when i go to culinary school in future? we'll see..

anyhow, here are the recipes for your ease:

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Caramel Corn

1 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
6 quarts of Popped corn (use the kind labelled Mushroom popcorn)

Heat your oven to 250C. Melt the butter, stir in the corn syrup, sugar and salt. Bring the misture to a boil stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the soda and vanilla (Careful! it foams!). Pour over the popped corn and mix well. Spread the coated corn into large cake pans and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Let it cool and eat! You can add peanuts or any other nuts if you like.

Taken from Christine of Pookie Fat Cat

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Egg Tarts
(makes about 20)

For the pastry
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
2 tbsps icing sugar mixture
170g cold butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tbsps iced water, approximately

For the custard filling
3/4 cup (165g) sugar
1 1/4 cups (310ml) water
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (125ml) milk

Custard Filling
Combine sugar and water in pan, stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved; let it cool. When cooled combine the sugar syrup, egs and milk in bowl, stir till well combined.

Pastry
Sift flour and icing sugar into bowl, rub in butter, add egg yolk and enough water to make ingredients cling together; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Divide dough into 2 portions, roll each portion to 2mm thickness. Cut pastry into 8cm rounds. Line greased deep fluted tart tins (1/4 cup (60ml) capacity) with pastry rounds.

Pour custard carefully into pastry cases until custard comes three-quarters of the way up the sides of pastry. Bake in hot oven for 10 mins, reduce heat to moderately hot, bake further 10 mins or until custard is set.

Note: You can use disposable aluminium tart casings if you don't have deep fluted tart tins. It works just as well.

If the pastry is too sticky or difficult to roll, wrap it again in the cling-wrap and refrigate for another 10 mins. It is much easier to work on a cool pastry.

Hot oven is approx 220-230C or 450-475F or Gas Mark 6.
Moderately hot oven is approx 200-210C or 400-425F or Gas Mark 5.

Taken from Trisha of Treats by Trisharatna