Tim Tims from Australia

Most of you are aware that chocolate is one of my weakness.

So you could imagine what happened when my friend francis bought these Tim Tams back from Australia. He went to Sydney and I made a special request to bring back this limited edition Tim Tams not available here:



and a fling was what i had. a passionate fling with me and my Tim Tams. It certainly was a dangerous liasion. I was literally popping Tim Tam after Tim Tam into my mouth. Sinful. And I did the Tim Tam slam with hot milo. Heaven. Must try it with coffee or milk next.

Anyway i enjoyed the chilli choc fling! i know what you must be thinking - no, it's not THAT spicy. It's kind of subtle. I actually tasted the sweetness of the chooclate cream first... then, the spicy tinge starts to creep up on your tastebuds. It's a change, but a lovely one. I totally dig these tim tams. Too bad I don't live in Australia. I could stock up on Tim Tams~ but that would mean a bigger sized me. Haha...

My homemade brownies & Haagen Daz Sundae

There's hardly a soul I know who can boldly say that they dislike ice-cream.

Come on, I doubt that there's anyone out there who would want to stay away from ice-cream (well, other than those on a diet or lactose intolerant). It's seriously a heavenly treat.

Especially if you're in a country where it's always summer. Ice cream is a good way to counter the sweltering heat.

I'm sure we all have our favourite ice-cream flavours and brands. There are two ice-cream brands I swear by: Ben and Jerry's and Haagen Daz. Gosh do I melt at the sight of some luciously inviting icecream drizzled in chocolate fudge, and sprinkled with cookie crunch. Yummy.

and.. there's no better way to eat ice cream than with brownies.

not just any brownies...

BUT home made ones:



Can you see my brownies in the midst of the Ultimate Sundae from Haagen Daz?

Mind you, I had that at the Haagen Daz outlet, not at home. Yes, you heard right... It was rather crazy but what the heck...

You see, last week, I met up with some friends and also brought some of my freshly baked brownies for them to try. We all concluded that it would be best to enjoy the brownies with ice cream...

so we headed down to Haagen Daz, ordered 4 scoops of icecream (Bailey's, Strawberry Cheesecake, Macadamia Nut, Belgian Chocolate) and placed the brownies rather discreetly (or not.) on the same plate. We had a good laugh I tell ya. I'm sure the waiters would be wondering where did those brownies suddenly appear from.



Look at those brownies amidst the ice-cream. Don't you think it looks so inviting? We finished it up in record time!



That's the last brownie standing. Managed to capture it in its glory before it was 'attacked'. I tell you, I've never had such a good dessert in a long while. I mean, what could beat Haagen Daz ice cream with home made brownies???

Haagen Daz rocks... and do I hear cheers of agreement?

The Rice Table

Entrance of The Rice Table @ Cuppage Terrace

There's something about buffets that entice most Singaporeans. My countrymen are known for being great bargain hunters. Anything that's value-for-money, they'll spot it with their eagle-eyes. I guess there's nothing wrong about it. And man, when it comes to food. We people know how to enjoy.

Enjoy I did, when me, Cheryl Anne and Adeline went to The Rice Table recently to celebrate Adeline's 21st birthday.


The interior

The Rice Table is known for it's credible and scrumptious Indonesian dishes. Served on an Indonesian Dutch rijsttafel (rice table), the dishes come in quaint little porcelain dishes that contain amazing gems such as the tauhu telor, which has a great crunch factor:


Their scrumptious tahu telor (tofu omelette) - not for those who hate fried stuff!

The restaurant serves lunch and dinner and all they have is the famed a la carte buffet.

Why famed? Because the place is so well-known and 'hot' that you have to book in advance before you're ensured a seat. Forget about a spontaneous decision to go eat there. You have to reserve at least a day in advance. It's always packed.

You'll understand why, when and if you do go on down to savour their authentically indonesian cuisine:


Clockwise from top left: Perkedel Jagung (Potato & Corn Fritter), Ikan Bilis (Fried Anchovies), Kangkong Belachan (Waterconvolvulus), Otak (Grilled Fishcake)

Their selection is wide and varied, which is good. You won't get bored. There are more than 15 dishes and it's okay if you're not really a chilli lover - the food isn't that spicy.


Clockwise from top left: Sotong Asam (Spicy & Sour Cuttlefish), Gado Gado (Salad in Peanut Sauce), Ikan Goreng (Fried Fish), Tahu Kuning (Curried Tofu)

As you can see from the photos, we ate like pigs. It was truly a huge feast! I ate till my tummy nearly burst. Now you see why I try to avoid buffets.


Clockwise from top left: Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay), Ladies Finger, Sambal Udang (Spicy Prawns), Terong Kecap (Eggplant in Soya Sauce)

My favourites are the the Chicken Satay, Eggplant, and of course the sambal kangkong. Yes, I love my veggies and I totally dig Indonesian cuisine. Spices and curries and tasty treats rock my house down.

Anyway it was truly a great dinner we had. You can never go wrong with The Rice Table. It's perfect especially if you have a bottomless pit for a stomach.

___________________________________

The Rice Table
#02-09/10
360 Orchard Road
International Building
Tel: 6835-3783

43/45 Cuppage Road
Tel: 6735-9117

#03-28
Suntec City Mall
3Temasek Boulevard
Tel: 6333-0248

SHF #10 - Oh Honey You Shouldn't Have!

What's not to like about Honey? You tell me...

It's sweet, it's sticky, it has a rich golden brown colour that appeals to your senses in more ways than one. Honey must be one of the best gifts ever given to us by nature. Let's all thank the bees for doing the job so well.

This month's SHF theme is honey, and this time, it's hosted by the lovely Nic from BakingSheet. I do think this is a wonderful theme because more often than not, we tend to overlook honey simply because it's so simple and basic. I believe most of us use sugar more often than honey. But I guess if Pooh can live on a jar of honey a day (or more), it's gotta be good for us too! =p

Before you read on, let me warn you of how sticky this post is gonna get. There's a lot of honey involved - simply because I decided to make two contributions for this saccharine sweet honey theme this month. Don't blame me, it's my sweet tooth working up ya know.

Anyways, let me present you the first of my two honey endeavours:




yes, it's a honey cake. Or rather, it's 'A Honey Of A Honey Cake', so says Bob Blumer, The Surreal Gourmet.

I got this recipe off Food Network while searching for honey related recipes and decided on this honey cake because I've never actually tried using honey when baking cakes. So this was a virgin attempt. And thank God, it turned out well! It's also a very simple cake. All you have to do is mix the basic ingredients:



and once you get a pale brown batter, you just pour it into your baking dish and pop it into the oven:



It's that simple! Fuss-free and yummy too. The great thing about this cake is, although there's honey in it, it doesn't come through in an overpowering way.

The honey is subtle and the cinnamon comes off nicely. i like how it's rather spongy and light. It doesn't feel too heavy. This is a perfect cake to have with tea or coffee. I love it.

Since the honey cake didn't satisfy my sugar craving, I had to make something that was authentically 'honey' enough. And so I made torrone:



I have to admit that the recipe seemed very easy, but upon actually doing it - I discovered that it was a delicate process especially since I didn't have a candy thermometer. I think the sugar granules didn't dissolve totally - next time I make it, I'm going to use some water to dissolve all the sugar first - make a sugar syrup instead. But other than that, this torrone tasted like it should and i used one of my favourite Vit E packed almonds:



In case you were wondering what exactly is torrone, well it's also known as nougat, and listen to this: it's actually about 80% sugar!

I was initially rather put off by the amount of sugar used. What say you of 3 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup honey and 1/2 cup icing sugar? Yes I do have a sweet tooth, but this was over the top. Thank God I'm not diabetic. I can imagine what a treat the ants would have if I left a drop of pure torrone on the kitchen top.



Yea, you've heard my complaints about the amount of sugar used so why did I continue making it? Well, I guess my tastebuds wanted it more than my mind. Besides, I do love nougat; I like sticky soft sweets in general. And since I've never made my own nougat, I thought this would be a chance to venture into newer sticker pastures. Don't you just love the creamy white of the soft nougat/torrone? That picture there, is after I've mixed the egg whites, honey mixture and almonds.

The white just gets better:



Now ain't that a HUGE mound of sinfully sweet nougat/torrone. The ants crawling on your computer screens yet?

Anyway, it was quite an experience making this nougat/torrone. I'm glad I decided to get out of my latest muffin/cupcake routine and try making sweets for once. See, that's why I always look forward to Sugar High Fridays! It gives me the perfect reason for trying out recipes I've never laid eyes on. And I do think the honey theme chosen by Nic for this tenth edition of SHF is brilliant. A natural sugar, the nectar of the bees and God's beautiful energy food.. ahh.. it couldn't get any better. My favourite honey combi is still the simple Honey and Lime juice drink. Never fails to give me a new surge of energy!

Now that this SHF is over, I await the next one with bated breath.... Oooo the excitement of virtual food events. It's been three months since I've made my grand entrance to the world of food blogging and dare i say, I'm enjoying every minute of it! Thanks you guys, my readers and my fellow food bloggers... you guys rock and I hope to continue enticing you with more yummy eats and what not... it's all about the food, ain't it? =) Cheers...

*** The round-up is up at Baking Sheet ***

As red as Snow White's lips

'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'

Cliched though it may be; I do believe wholly in the wonders of apple! Yes, yes, I am an apple person. I have an apple almost everyday! It gives me the vitamins I need and it's yummy too...

Speaking of apples, I have to show you that apple above. Doesn't it look soooo inviting? Mum bought some Red Delicious apples recently and I was so bowled over at the rich red hue that I had to snap a photo of it.

Doesn't it remind you of Snow White's red rosy lips? And think of the oh-so-inviting poisonous apple the witch tempted her with? how it looked so good that Snow White just had to take a bite? Well, i think this apple could be it.

In case you were wondering, yes, it was crunchy and delicious too...

Allrighty, enough about apples. Just to let you dear readers know, I'll be gone from tomorrow (wednesday) till saturday for a university camp so I wouldn't be able to post any entry. But I'll still post up my Sugar High Friday entry before I leave. Wouldn't miss it for the world. :) Look out for it. Cheers and have a pleasant week ahead!

Hiestand Swiss Gourmet Bakery

We all have our favourite bakeries - the pastry/bread haven we go to, to get our daily fix of carbs. Here in Singapore, there are so many flourishing bakeries: Four Leaves, Sweet Secrets, Bread Talk, Bengawan Solo, Cedele Bakery Depot, and not forgetting, your homely neighbourhood bakeries. I adore the smell that permeates the bake shop - the smell of freshly baked bread or sweet scent of cakes and cookies (think Famous Amos) definitely gets me on a high.

My favourite bakery is not really local, but it's one I constantly rave about. Hiestand Swiss Gourmet Bakery.

Okay, it might sound intimidating but it really isn't. I like their scones, chocolate rolls and especially their soft pretzel:



It might not look much, but I seriously like its fluffy texture:



I used to only eat the type of pretzels a la Auntie Anne's, ya know the ones coated with cinnamon sugar, or sour cream & onion powder etc...

But my pretzel preference has changed, and now, I totally dig soft pretzel. I've tried baking these soft pretzels once, and they taste pretty much like bread, but with a much lighter texture. My goal is to get them as delicious as Hiestand's. Mine certainly don't look as brown and beautiful as Hiestand's... I have a lot of catching up to do!

________________________________

Hiestand Swiss Gourmet Bakery

Takashimaya B2
#04-07
Tel: 6 733 9879

Cold Storage
Centrepoint
176 Orchard Rd
#B1-14
Tel: 6737 4222

Jasons Supermarket
1 Claymore Drive
Tel: 6 238 7642

Turf City
Turf Club Rd
#01-19200
Tel: 6 468 5480

Cold Storage
1 Fifth Avenue
Guthrie House
#01-05
Tel: 6 468 0829

_________________________________

My special grilled herbed dory fish

What's your favourite fish? I don't really have a preference, but I do like how dory fish is so easy to marinate and cook. It really takes on whatever sauce or herbs you flavour it with. I like the creamy texture too...

I love eating grilled fish, there's something about the slightly crispy 'outside' and moist inside. I usually make a quick lunch by marinating my dory with Lea Perrin's Sauce, chilli powder, oregano (or any herb mix), pepper and sometimes, garlic powder. It's seriously too easy. It's also very yummy. If you're a cheese person, try sprinkling some parmesan too, or just take your slice of cheddar cheese and cover the fish, then pop it into the oven!

Fishes are really a godsend and man, do i love eating fishes more so now, than before. I totally dig sashimi - think tuna, salmon, swordfish... haha yum. okay well I felt bad eating fishes after Finding Nemo, as with most people, but hey, that's only a cartoon remember?

Anyway have a great fish week ahead you all!

Nu Bar

Vietnamese Fried Noodle

There's just something about hidden gems that I like. Gems such as Nu Bar.

I don't know about you, but I'm really sick of hearing people recommend the usual predictable places to dine. Think Cafe Cartel or NYDC. Well I have nothing against NYDC but I don't really fancy Cafe Cartel. Well that's just me.

Would you rather face huge crowds at a 'popular' eatery or enjoy some quiet comfort eating food that's delicious and at a place not many know about? I'd choose the latter in a blink of an eye.

Nu Bar is one such eatery that I'd always recommend to friends for reasonably priced food that's tasty as well.

The place actually serves Vietnamese fusion food. It opened a few years back and I reviewed it once, for my campus online magazine, The Urbanwire.

Since then, I've recommended the place to quite a few friends. The place is quite 'ulu' (deserted), but that's what makes it special.

I brought Dot and Cenydd there recently and I'm glad to say that they enjoyed the food as much as I did.

I ate the vietnamese fried noodles and Cenydd had the sliced beef noodles while Dot had the Nu Bar Special (noodles with beef brisket, beef balls etc...)


Sliced beef noodles


Kailan with oyster sauce

I wanted to have the sambal kangkong but unfortunately it was sold out so we had the Kailan instead and we also ordered the golden tofu.


Golden Tofu

This tofu is crispy and topped with pork floss. It comes with this garlic soya sauce which really compliments it. The tofu is something I have to have, whenever I return to dine at Nu Bar. Absolutely wonderful.

But it's a pity that they no longer have the garlic chicken on their menu. It was one of my favourite dishes.

Do try their vietnamese coffee if you have the chance - it's quite unique.

Nu Bar tends to be quite empty in the evenings so don't fret if you see very few customers - that doesn't mean their food isn't good. It's just that their location isn't really favourable. If only they moved to somewhere more central... it'll really do them some good.

_______________________________________

Nü Bar
190 Clemenceau Avenue
#06-01/27
Singapore Shopping Centre

_______________________________________

Haagen Daz Chocolate Fondue Heaven

Chocolate makes me happy. I get high on chocolate and there's nothing better than some good solid chocolate fondue.

I've only tried the chocolate fondue at Max Brenner's and Haagen Daz.

But I've got to say that Haagen Daz beats Max Brenner's hands down.

This week, I had the perfect opportunity to try Haagen Daz's delectable chocolate fondue. It was my third time having their fondue and this is by far their best yet.



what's so unique about their chocolate fondue? Take a look at those lovely ice cream balls. Yes you heard right, Haagen Daz serves ice cream balls with their fondue. And here's what you do with it:



Can you see the twinkle in Dot's eyes? She was going ga-ga over the chocolate fondue, just like me. Haha, and of course Cenydd got sucked into the temptation too. I think we might have just converted him into a chocolate lover!



Look at how fast the chocolate coating hardens due to the ice cream's cold temperature?



Don't you just feel like rushing down to the nearest Haagen Daz right this moment? And that's not all; the fondue came with pieces of banana, apples, and strawberries. It was fondue heaven. We all left the place on cloud 9! and to think we had a full dinner before that. More on the dinner in another post.... right now, why don't you just bask in all that chocolate glory!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla. Mmm... the pure unadulterated scent of vanilla is enough to get you on a high. I used to think vanilla was boring, until I actually realised that it's actually a wonderful bean/pod/plant that can sometimes be subtle yet important. It's now my second favourite ingredient, after chocolate.

In order to taste the layered nuances of pure vanilla, it's advisable to use it in a simple recipe that doesn't have an overpowering ingredient lest it masks the vanilla completely.

My favourite vanilla recipe is my sweet little vanilla cupcakes.

Got the recipe from Food Network ages ago and have used it many times, and it is quite a hit with my friends. They love the buttercream icing as well. Actually it tastes just as good, without the icing. Oh, and I used vanilla sugar to enhance the vanilla taste.



Look at my beautiful cupcake babies cooling on the rack. Do take note that you must always allow your cupcakes to cool before slapping on the frosting. Or else the heat will melt the icing almost immediately and you'll get watery cupcakes.



My 'clothed' cupcakes. I love how the icing looks like snow. Snow covered cupcakes. How quaint. But I decided to add some colour:



and there you have it. my rainbow cupcakes. i didn't use food colouring to colour my icing. wanted it to be simple.



Look at that beautiful cupcake. I love these vanilla cupcakes and the upside of it? It's so easy to make!

Decided to make them for Adeline since we're meeting up today to celebrate her birthday which is actually next tuesday. Happy Birthday in advance Adeline! Hope you like the cupcakes!

Of chillies, Indian rojak, and a lil' of my heritage

That's tau kua (fried soya bean curd) dipped in the rojak gravy

As a child, I grew up eating chillies like no body's business. Chilli padi, green chilli, sambal chilli, sambal belachan; I've eaten them all. I guess you could say I was weaned on chilli.

Not that it's a bad thing. At least my stomach is stronger than most people, and unlike my mum, I don't get a tummy ache after having some fiery curry.

Spicy foods, I love and even more so, Indian, Malay, and Peranakan food.

I used to drink Dad's curry like soup, lapping it all up and man do i enjoy the adrenaline rush when you're tongue burns!

Okay, before I start sounding like a sadist, I'll just continue professing my love for Indian food somemore.

I enjoy eating naans, chapatis, pratas, kerala curry, rasam, aloo palak, kulfi and the list goes on.

My indian friends sometimes think that i'm more indian than them! Hey, I can cook tandoori chicken well... Picked it up when I was working at this Indian restaurant as a waitress last year.

Mind you, I had to wear a punjabi suit! Not that I mind - I liked it in fact. Besides, I think it's the Indian blood in me working up. Haha, i'm not half-indian or anything, but my paternal great-grand father was Indian. And my dad looked so much like an indian construction worker when he was younger (old photos), what with his mustache and all! shh.. don't tell him I said that. it doesn't help that my dad's also quite dark.

Okay enough about my heritage, this is a food blog, not a history blog ;)

Anyway speaking of all things indian, one of my favourite Indian food is the Indian rojak:




It's usually a mix of ingredients like tau kua (fried soya bean curd), fish cake, tempeh (fermented soybeans), cucumbers, green chillies, eggs, potatoes, prawn encased in dough etc. There's also a lot of other 'dough-y' stuff which I don't know the names of. But ultimately, the main highlight of the rojak is the sauce which you dip the ingredients with. I'm not sure what it's made of, but it's usually bright reddish-orange, a little sweet and spicy and some contain peanuts.

This rojak which you see above was bought at Geylang and it's quite well known. Well someone told my mum it was nice so my dad went to buy it the next day. It was pretty yummy... and the chillies were seriously FIERY. My mouth was literally on fire. I was the smartypants who just put all the chillies in my mouth. Thank God I had some milk to douse the 'flames'. Hehe.. but I still love chillies, always have and always will!

That reminds me of this ultimate 'Insanity Sauce' I tried a few years back. It was by far the HOTTEST sauce that I've ever tried. If you think jalapenos or tabasco sauce was bad, man you're in for a shock. This sauce makes you cry, it makes you go down on your knees, wishing you hadn't made the 'mistake' of letting it make contact with your tongue. It's seriously insane to eat it, but then again, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger doesn't it? I haven't been able to find it in Singapore, but if you really want to test the limits of how hot can you go, try the infamous ULTIMATE INSANITY SAUCE. I think you can get them online. Try it if you dare!!!

Billy Bomber's

Cheese Fries

Fries, fries, fries. I have expressed my love for these golden wonders and I shall wax lyrical about them again.

Fries go well with almost anything. Try it with ice-cream, chocolate, ketchup, sour cream, mustard or CHEESE - it still manages to taste good. It's a must-have 'junk' food. Really, there's no need for you to steer clear away from fries whether you are on the Atkins diet, or the South Beach Diet, or god knows what diet.

Try my diet, I tell ya! My Eat-what-you-want-and-exercise-well diet. Trust me, it works. *grins*

Yes yes, if you're wondering where I'm going with this fries monologue... well let me have you know that I might just have found the perfect cheese fries.

Dined at Billy Bombers yesterday and my goodness, these cheese fries really takes the fries. And unlike those uncomparable versions sold at KFC etc, these ones are coated with Velveeta aged cheese. Melted real cheese. Not your run-of-the-mill over-salted chemical enchanced cheese sauce.

Me, Lina, and Shiv lapped the fries up real good. Yummy...



Bomber's Club Sandwich

I was craving for a big and mean sandwich so I decided on their Bomber's Club Sandwich.

It came with lots of chicken, lettuce, fried egg, bacon and tomatoes with cucumbers and oh... yes, pickles! It came in a ciabatta loaf which was kind of toasted lightly, so it had a crispy touch. Delicious. They were generous with their chicken and just about everything.

Well Billy Bomber's is modelled after a typical old-school American diner, so big portions are de rigeur!

I could choose potato salad or fries to go with my sandwich and i went with the salad. Since we were already having cheese fries, the salad seemed a better choice.


Balls O' Fire Spaghetti

Shiv had spag and we had a good laugh over how the waitress called said "Balls on fire", instead of "Balls O' Fire". It was hilarous.

Anyway the meat balls were made out of chicken thigh meat and wrapped in buttermint batter with tomato sauce. It was supposedly spicy, thus the 'fire'. haha.


Alcatraz

Now that is a huge burger. But it ain't no ordinary burger. That's no normal beef patty you se there. It's actually rib-eye steak covered with double layer of melted cheese. They had sautéed onion and some good ol' mustard. Looks yummy doesn't it? Lina said it was good. But we were all really stuffed after.

Please always go to Billy Bomber's on a very empty and hungry stomach. Or else, you'll suffer the consequences! Try also, their ribs, it's really good. I had them previously and was convinced that they knew how to cook their ribs well. Order some chocolate malt if you have a sweet tooth.

_________________________________________________

Billy Bomber's
#05-02
The Heeren Shops
260 Orchard Road
Tel: 6732-2249

__________________________________________________

Malteser Muffins

My dearest friend Lina's 21st birthday falls on this coming Monday. I wanted to do something special for her and bake her something. Since we were going to meet up with Shiv at Sentosa tomorrow, I thought it'll be best to bake something that's easy to eat and also very yummy.

The three of us can't possibly finish an entire cake so muffins were the way to go. And it was also a perfect excuse to try out this Malteser Muffin recipe that Chin Ru of Sweet Oven posted a few days back.

So I quickly bought a pack of maltsers and started whipping up muffins with my brand new muffin pan:



this pan is definitely much bigger than my old one. And can you see that I put a malteser in the centre? i did that for all the muffins. Wanted it to be a nice surprise when Lina and Shiv bites into these delicious muffins. But it's probably also why my muffins didn't have puffed up tops.

On the other hand, these muffins tasted yummy. But I didn't think it was chocolatey enough. i still prefer the dark choc muffins I made last week. But I guess it's because maltesers aren't really all chocolate... most of it is honeycomb. And actually I would have used the dark choc maltesers if they were still around... Too bad I couldn't find anymore! Maybe next time.

I think I'm really going to get sick of muffins soon...

Of creams and vanilla

can you see those small black specks of vanilla beans?

The vanilla bean pods that I bought a month ago have been sitting in my fridge and I think I might have neglected the fact that their freshness might be compromised if I don't use it soon enough.

So I decided to make the classic vanilla ice-cream.

I didn't have an ice-cream maker so I did it by freezing it in the fridge and mixing it every hour, on the hour, for about 5 to 6 times.

One thing I've learnt is how delicate a process it is and the importance of the cream you use.

The recipe I used just stated 1 cup cream and didn't indicate which kind. So I bought fresh thickened cream a.k.a creme fraiche. I later found out that I should have perhaps bought heavy cream or whipping cream instead.

Gosh, with so many types of cream around, I got really confused. Actually the difference with these creams are their fat content.

But thanks to a culinary glossary i chanced upon, I finally realisedhow to differentiate the creams:

light cream contains approximately 20% butterfat
whipping (or heavy) cream ranges from 30-40%.
Half-and-half refers to a blend of milk and cream with a butterfat content of 10-12%.

and creme fraiche is cream that has been slightly soured with bacterial culture. and thanks to Wikipedia, I also found out that sour cream is "obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactobacillus bacteria". Apparently, bacterial culture would react with the cream and produce lactic acid which in turn sours and thickens the cream. Creme fraiche is very similar to sour cream in terms of texture, only that creme fraiche doesn't curdle when boiled.

Phew.. that's a whole load of information on creams I know. But I had to get to the bottom of this 'cream' question that's been in my mind.

As for my vanilla ice-cream, I nearly screwed it up because I left my yolk& milk mixture on the stove for too long without stirring. I learnt my lesson well.

What happened to my mixture had me worried - there were little clumps of eggy stuff. I think the egg was actually starting to curdle. So from a lovely smooth mixture, I got something that had bits of white in it. I managed to fix it by sieving out the little clumps and thankfully it worked.

So I continued with freezing my cream and doing the mixing every hour. It was quite a tedious process that made me wish I had an ice-cream maker.

The result of my ice-cream wasn't what I had intended - it was a little icy and not very smooth. But then again, I did it by hand, so I can't be looking for pristine results. I think I would have had better results had I used whipping cream. Taste-wise, it was creamy and I could taste the wonderful vanilla.

I wouldn't mind making more next time and yes, I'll definitely make sure I follow the steps properly. And maybe, I should get an ice-cream maker, when I have saved enough moo-lah. Yet another 'want' to add to my culinary product wish list. It'll be a long time before I get my own KitchenAid... but well at least I can dream about it for now. Have to get a bigger muffin pan and find some ramekins! And hmmm i'm wondering if they sell those lovely Microplane graters here?