Melbourne's best roti at Mamak

Queues.  With the rise of internet banking and self-checkout at the supermarket, they're slowly becoming a thing of the past.  As a teenager, I remember sitting on the pavement outside the Arts Centre quite literally all night in the queue to get Grand Final tickets, legs wrapped up in a tartan blankie and sipping on a thermos of hot chocolate, chatting with excited fellow footy fans all around.  I'm sure these days it's all done by some extremely efficient and boring electronic ballot process.

But queues are making a comeback at Melbourne's hottest restaurants, and new Malaysian eatery Mamak is no exception.  As Nina Rousseau wrote in Epicure last week, this Sydney export is already winning hearts and tummies left, right and centre.

If you have to wait, you will get some street theatre of sorts to whet your appetite - Mamak specialise in roti, made from scratch and expertly stretched until almost translucent.  On a Monday night, we only had to wait five minutes for a table of six, so it's definitely worth trying your luck.

It's functional inside but still pleasant.  The "mamak" in Malaysia are Indian by ethnicity and often Muslim by religion, their forebears having been brought to Malaysia from southern Indian by the British (who colonised both India and modern-day Malaysia).  Now, mamak street stalls are popular across Malaysia and Singapore, specialising in roti, satay, mi goreng noodles and more.  See Bryan's delicious post about "roti prata" in Singapore.  (My secret:  Sometimes if I am having a bad day, I find this post and look at the roti man's face.  There is something about him that is so purely, simply happy.)

I love Mamak Melbourne's tiny, specialised menu.  If you're looking for laksa, you're in the wrong place.  Mamak knows where its strengths are and knows how to work them.

Chicken/beef satay, one dozen for $16

Fantastic satays!  Bite sized morsels of tender chicken and beef, threaded onto long, dainty skewers and with the most delicious satay sauce for dipping.  Seriously, I could have eaten this with a spoon by itself.  I'll guess that it featured lemongrass, ginger and tamarind, with nary a spoonful of commercial peanut butter in sight.  Awesome.

Roti canai, $5.50

If some roti is like puff pastry, this was like filo - almost impossibly thin, elastic dough cooked on a hot grill and gently curled on a silver tray.  I could happily eat it on its own, but it comes with a traditionally thin lentil dal speckled with nigella seeds, a creamy curry gravy, and a dot of dried anchovy-rich, full-flavoured chilli sambal.

WE HATED IT.


Teh tarik, $3.50

This is tea sweetened with condensed milk and "aerated" by pouring in long streams between two mugs.  I liked this, which might mean it's not authentic - it's supposed to have a very bitter, tannic edge that doesn't appeal to me.  Bryan is kinder than me - when I described it to him, he said, "Maybe it's gently authentic".  :-)

Roti telur bawang, $7

I didn't mind this roti filled with egg and sweet onion, but really, I'd be more than happy to stick to the original, feather-light version.

Kari ayam, $16

Next up were curries - first a fantastic, full-flavoured chicken curry with whole cloves bobbing in the rich, thick sauce and big, tender taters.  The chicken is on the bone, so if you're having a bit of a bone wuss moment, you might not fully appreciate it.

Kangkung belacan, $14

This is kangkung, also known as morning glory, water convolvulus and other less rude other names.  When eating Vietnamese, next time you want a vegie, don't get the Chinese broccoli and oyster sauce - try one of the kangkung options, maybe with just garlic or my favourite, "stinky" preserved tofu.  This version was cooked well but the belachan or fermented shrimp paste was almost imperceptible.  As my dad put it - "Not enough old underpants".

Sambal sotong, $17

"It's very hot," warned the edible young waiter.  "Yes, we love hot," we replied.  Fresh leaves of squid came luxuriating in thick, jammy sambal.  Sambal is a chilli-based sauce that can be anything from just pounded fresh chillies with a little lime to an intense blend of shrimp paste, sugar and citrus.  While at first bite the sotong tasted sweet and tangy, the addictive chilli rush crept up slowly afterwards.  Delicious.

Much rice for soaking up all the sauces...

...and salad to cool the burn.  While the ingredients were good and fresh (cucumber, fried tofu and jicama) , I wasn't a huge fan of this rojak - the dressing was very sweet and somewhat one dimensional.  I'm not very familiar with Malaysian-style rojak though so this could be authentic.

Lamb murtabak, $11.50

Bringing up the rear, our murtabak or stuffed roti finally arrived (it does say to allow extra time).  Filled with small pieces of lamb and onion, I found it unexciting compared to the unbearable lightness of the plain roti and the flavour acrobatics of the chicken curry and sambal sotong.

So get thee to Mamak!  There's a grocery across the road that sells Japanese beer and super kawaii individual glasses of choya, Japanese plum wine.  BYO is a mere $2 per head.  Service is efficient but friendly - one waitress even speaks Auslan!



Mamak
366 Lonsdale Street, City
Phone:  9670 3137
Hours:  Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30-10pm


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Muy Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns

Photo by Allrecipes user foodelicious

Someone asked recently, what's the most requested recipe that I've still not done on the blog? That's an easy one...cinnamon rolls or buns! 

I'm not exactly sure why these sweet, sticky treats haven't made an appearance yet, and I'm sure they will eventually, in one form or another, but in the meantime I'd like to present this very sexy version from my friends at Allrecipes. 

Check out the video, and then follow this link to see the official written recipe for Dakota Kelly's Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns. Enjoy!

Abe's Diner ... a Cosy Japanese Diner and also serving European cuisine with a Japanese twist

I used to like words like quaint, quiet to be used on the little diners or cafes that emerge out of nowhere into the streets of Tiong Bahru. But no longer. There are so many that commercial spaces will soon out run residential spaces. At 42 Eng Hoon Street, right opposite Ting Heng, a popular fish head steam boat and seafood restaurant, a cosy diner joined the fray. Abe's Diner serve Japanese cuisine and also some European food with Japanese touches. I love small diners as service wouldn't suffer that much even if there's limited wait staff. While HY, Jane and I arrived, we were skeptical about Abe serving good enough food as we were the only ones around. Soon, the diner started to fill up. Service was good. Our tea was filled up as soon as we empty the teapot.

We thought we made a good choice with the Fried Chicken with Tartar sauce. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It's important that the chicken didn't appear to be greasy.

Cabonara with Japanese Udon was recommended by the folks from Abe's. This is an Italian pasta dish with a Japanese twist. Pasta was replaced by Japanese Udon. We know the texture of udon. It's smooth, springy and do not soak up much sauces. The sauce that coat the udon was eggy and cheesy. Udon didn't soak up sauce like the Italian pasta. Different but tasty!. 

Grilled Pork Belly with Mustard Cream Sauce. This is definitely not an authentic Japanese dish. The pork belly was tasty and went well with the mustard cream sauce. It would have been better if the pork belly was more tender and juicier.

Yaki Udon is Japanese Fried Udon. I liked it that there wasn't that strong flavor of yakisoba sauce like the kind served in Botejyu. Don't know how Japanese describe good "wok hei" because that's what this is. 

42 Eng Hoon Street
Singapore 169785
Tel  +65 6222 1719
Abe's Diner Facebook Page

Dough and Grains ... TCM Bread and Cakes causing a roar with the Capital 958FM crew

We had a great breakfast after our "walk and jog" at Tiong Bahru Food Centre and decided to take a walk to look at what's cooking in the new shop space along Seng Poh Road. We pass by the shop last night on our way to dinner at Abe's Diner. Folks seems to be rushing for some event. It turned out to be Dough & Grains opening. We have been indulged with the explosion of artisanal French bakeries in Singapore and for that matter, just right around the corner, Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier. Well, founder Coreen Wong started what I think being a first in Singapore .... Fancy a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) bread or Cake? 

Extol the goodness of TCM in a delicious bun or a cake. When I thought about TCM cakes and buns, I tend to associate it to the bitter, distasteful brews that mum pour out into porcelain bowls and that I gulp down holding the bowl in one hand while pinching my nose with the other. On the contrary, the cake that I ate was delicious. Maybe I just wasn't that adventurous and also I didn't have much choice. Aunties ahead of me snapped up most of the buns and cakes like they were FOC.

While I was there, the friendly Capital 958FM crew were at the scene. Some preparing the bakes, some helping to pack our orders and  the rest manning the cashier. At the same time, they were 'on air' while selling the bakes for a good cause. All items goes at $2 for today and the proceeds will go to charity. Check out the Capital 958FM Facebook Page for what's current.

There's still a queue even when there's nothing much on the counter.

It was like a war zone and this cake caught my eye. Limited edition 958 is all printed over it. 

This means Pine Nut and Banana Cake and this was what I got for myself and my parents to try.

A close up of the cake that was moist, mildly sweet and fluffy. This I brought to drink  kopi at Nylon. Pretty good stuff they got here. The egg tarts with 958 print was a best seller. Don't get to try any of that!

71 Seng Poh Road #01-35

Singapore 160071

Tel : +65 9846 6888

Turkey, Bacon, and Scallion Stuffed Potatoes

Living in the east, people often don't know how to respond when they hear I'm from Idaho.  Sometimes I get the occasional, "oh yeah, I've been to Idaho.  We drove through it on our way to..."  Other times I'll get the loud "Idaho?  Don't you guys live in log cabins and live like pioneers?"  But the most common response is "So, did you eat a lot of potatoes?"

Yes, Idaho and The Potatoes.  Unfortunately it's our one claim to fame, but it's true.  We love our potatoes.  In fact, certain Visitor Centers throughout the state will offer you a free bag just for stopping by.  Growing up, we often went to a neighbors potato farms to pick off all the potatoes the trucks may have missed, to take home for free.  There were always more than we could pack into boxes, and put in the right climate, they would last forever.  Laugh all you want, but potatoes are awesome.  They fill the belly, are loaded with fiber, and are incredibly versatile.

So, the answer is yes, we did eat a lot of potatoes.

This recipe is for anyone who loves the turkey-bacon combo, which I know I do.  It's usually the only way I make my sandwich, with lots of cheese of course.  You do need to have the time to bake your potatoes before assembling these oozy, flavorful, spuds, but the rest of the assembly is a snap.  We served these as the main course with veggies on the side.  They were a hit!

Turkey, Bacon, and Scallion Stuffed Potatoes
Adapted from Rachel Ray's Big Orange Book

Ingredients

4 big Idaho Potatoes (traitor that I am, I used Yukon Golds, I like their texture a lot better)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
6 strips bacon
1/4 pound deli-sliced smoked turkey breast, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425.

Scrub the potatoes and prick them each several times with a fork.  Place them on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper, rolling them around on the sheet to coat them with the oil.  Bake the potatoes until tender, 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.  Let the potatoes cool for 5 or 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle, leaving the oven on.

While the potatoes are cooling, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add the bacon and cook until crispy golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain off any excess grease and cool.  Add the chopped turkey to the same skillet and toss over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through, then remove from the heat and reserve.  Chop up the cooled bacon.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each one in half length-wise and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl, leaving a thin layer of flesh intact.  Try not to pierce the skin of the potato.  Add the sour cream, stock, and scallions and about 1/2 cup of the cheddar to the bowl and mash the potatoes; season with the salt and pepper.  Fold the turkey and bacon into the mashed potatoes and mount the filling into the potato skins.  Top with a little extra cheese, a couple of tablespoons per skin.  Return them to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Serve them up with your favorite salad alongside.

Cream of Cauliflower – Come for the Soup, Stay for the Bacon Gremolata

We’re heading into the heart of hot soup season, and this cream of cauliflower will ward off autumn’s chill with the best of them. I’m a big fan of the cauliflower in all forms, but this simple soup may be my favorite application.

Of course, human nature being what it is, I wasn’t satisfied with just the soup, and wanted to garnish with something new and exciting. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything, so I decided to follow that age-old advice which says, “when in doubt, bacon.”

I’ve garnished soups like this with bacon before, but never tried toasting breadcrumbs in the rendered fat. Not surprisingly, it worked very well, and the additions of lemon zest and parsley elevated things even more. The only problem with a recipe like this is the next time I’m served a cream of cauliflower, no matter how good it is, I’m going to be a little sad there’s no bacon gremolata floating on top.

By the way, I realize there are no breadcrumbs in a true gremolata, but I thought it sounded kind of cool, and besides, I’ve never been that big on respecting the sanctity of culinary terms. I was going to go with “baconized breadcrumbs,” but that sounded a little too much like molecular gastronomy, which is much worse.

If you’re not into eating animals, some diced shiitake mushrooms and a pinch of smoked paprika would be a great substitute in the gremolata. You’d also need to add some olive oil to replace the rendered bacon fat, but you probably knew that.

Now that I think about it, that vegetarian version sounds pretty amazing as well. Maybe next time I’ll skip the bacon and…oh, who am I kidding? Anyway, I hope you give this delicious fall soup a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 8 servings:

1 onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

salt to taste

1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered

2 heads cauliflower, trimmed

1 quart chicken broth

1 quart water

1/2 cup cream

cayenne to taste

For the gremolata:

4 strips bacon

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

View the complete recipe

Beef Trends

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm just back from West Virginia where I attended the Certified Angus Beef conference. It was a great opportunity to meet with chefs, talk to butchers and learn more about beef--the trends, the choices and what's on the horizon. When it comes to beef, just like chocolate or wine or coffee, the more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn. 

First a few common misconceptions, when it comes to beef:

Only some beef is grass fed. Actually all beef is grass fed. It's just a question of how it's "finished" Certified Angus Beef is finished on a feed lot and eats grain to bulk up in size and improve marbling of the meat. If you want to buy grass fed, pay attention to how it's finished. Some beef being sold as grass fed is not the same as "grass finished." 

Grass fed beef is healthier. I used to think so, but it turns out the evidence is mixed. While grass fed beef does have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, it's not a great source of them. And as an article in the New York Times concluded, " it’s not clear whether the nutritional differences in the two types of meat (grass fed versus conventional) have any meaningful impact on human health." Meanwhile other research challenges the benefits of grass fed over grain finished. I think the jury is out on this one.

Fresh beef is better than frozen. Not really. Freezing actually improves the tenderness of beef, since ice crystals penetrate muscle and research shows there is no real moisture loss difference between fresh and frozen meat. Beef, like chicken and pork are expected to go up in price in the coming year and since meat prices vary throughout the year, take advantage of the cost savings and consider buying frozen beef. You won't be sacrificing quality. 

And the trends….

Bone in steaks! I saw this when I dined at Sidecut at the Four Seasons Whistler where a 52 ounce porterhouse, a 36 ounce rib eye and a 36 ounce strip steak are all served bone in and carved table side. This is a fun way to dine! I haven't done a side by side taste test of steak cooked on the bone versus off the bone, but generally speaking, meat on the bone tastes better. 

Signature grinds are a trend that is due to the popularity of gourmet burgers. It's not just the coarseness of the grind, but the very mix or meats such as short rib, prime rib, brisket or strip steak. What makes some burgers taste better than others? One secret is oleic acid. Oleic acid is the primary mono- unsaturated fatty acid in beef and accounts for about 33% of the fatty acid in beef (it's also found in olive oil) research shows that monounsaturated oleic acid does not raise cholesterol. It's this fat that is partly responsible for making meat taste so good and is found in higher percentages in very marbled beef. There is some very interesting research on this topic. Other ways burgers become "gourmet" include seasonings, fillings and toppings. My favorite to date has to be the marrow burger which is off the menu at Luella. But burgers with bacon, cheese and caramelized onions (and ground bacon in the grind), like the one at Marlowe are pretty spectacular too. 

Smaller portions. Hallelujah!  When I go to a steak house I typically order the smallest steak, or hope someone will share a large one with me (bone in perhaps?). Frankly I get tired of eating beef after about three to four bites. And I really get tired of having filet mignon be my only option for something more petite. As demand grows for smaller steaks, different cuts are showing up such as the culotte or top sirloin cap, filet of rib, cap of rib, sirloin end, chuck eye and they are very flavorful unlike the less flavorful yet tender filet mignon. For me good quality beef is a treat and a little goes a long way.

New cuts. The way beef is butchered or fabricated, is constantly evolving. Some cuts you may not have seen yet include the braison and merlot, also known as "heel" of the beef round. Both will be less expensive cuts, the braison is best for braising and the merlot can be grilled or cooked whole. 

It strikes me that there is something for everyone whether you want a big hunk of meat on the bone a gourmet burger or just a smaller portion. Which trends are you most excited about?

Disclosure: I learned about the trends at the Certified Angus Beef conference where I was a guest and my travel expenses were covered. I was not paid to write this or any other post. Special thanks to Kyle Miller and Michael Ollier for their terrific educational session and meat cutting demonstration.
 

Egg in a Hole

As a very new mother to two children, I've found that in order to get through the day without overwhelming myself it helps to make very mini goals.  Like, today I'm going to tidy up.  Today I'm going to organize that drawer.  Today I'm going to the drug store.  Today I'm going to blog.  Today I'm going to shower.  (That's right friends, showering doesn't happen every day or even every other, deal.)

But one thing I HAVE to do everyday is cook dinner, pack a school lunch, and make sure my son eats a big breakfast.  It's very easy to fall into the "same old same old routine", but today I decided to get wild and crazy with breakfast.  Egg in a Hole!  Egg in a Minnesota Hole (thanks for the cookie cutter, Katy).  Put some butter in a pan, cut out a shape in your bread, place bread in pan, crack egg into hole, sprinkle with salt, cook to your desired yolk consistency.  Fast, easy and delicious!     

Good finds

Happy Friday everyone! This week totally flew by, I have no idea what we've done.. not much? We are looking for a new car which does take up a lot of time, though.

I thought I'd share a few recent finds - things that I've tried and liked. They were all sent to me for review. (My policy on this, in short:  I'll gladly try new things, but I may or may not write about them. If I do write, it'll be my honest opinion. I tend to write about things I like and recommend, obviously - it's not much fun to write about really horrible products, but sometimes, I'll do that, too.)



Chef'n Prepstation cutting board

This is a pretty smart cutting board! It's nice and sturdy, and it has little drawers underneath where you can collect whatever you've been cutting, to transfer it to the pot. (One is a colander, so you can rinse whatever it is you need to rinse.) It's handy - I keep mine on the kitchen counter and use it all the time. (However, I partly do that because it won't fit in my drawer. )



Kochblume

Do your pots boil over? Mine do, when I cook rice, or potatoes. Kochblume is the solution - it's a silicone lid / splatter guard that you use instead of a normal lid. It'll keep the pot from boiling over, and it works pretty well. However, starch tends to collect on the "petal" part of the lid, so you need to scrub it clean. I also wish it was a bit smaller, it's a little large for the pot I most often use.



Kallaras olive oil

I got this e-mail:

My name is Marinos Kallaras and I am actually a mechanical engineer. However, I have always been working on my parents olive groves in my free time and I dedicated a lot of time during harvest to personally undertake the procedure of harvest and olive extraction. I own a part of an olive press, so I am proud to say that I am personally responsible for the cultivation of my olive trees, the harvest and the extraction of the olive oil. I bottle my olive oil in my region’s co-operative.

High quality olive oil has so much been part of my family’s every day diet that I only recently realized that the olive oil sold in Northern Europe is either of bad quality (often adultered) or extremely costly. Our European friends who have tried our extra virgin olive oil talk about a memorable Greek taste that made them question the quality of olive oil they had been eating so far. So, I thought, why not export?

In a few words my extra virgin olive oil has low acidity, it is cold extracted, it is certified and has zero chemicals, additives and preservatives. Plus it is produced for centuries by my family with so much love that I can honestly say I am proud of my olive oil.

Being curious, I agreed to taste it - and Marinos is right, it's an awesome olive oil. Certainly much tastier than what I can find in my local grocery store. I've been using it for just about everything since I got it, and it just works so well. It's not a very strong flavor, which I personally like very much - I often find olive oils to be a little too intrusive in my cooking. So this one is just to my liking. Recommended! (Here's the website.)

Pepparkakor

I tend to bake my own gingerbread cookies, but if I buy any this year, they'll be from Arbrå Ångbageri. Really good cookies, and really gorgeous tins. 

Chefs on Beef

When it comes to beef, the kind of you choose is truly a matter of taste and personal preference. There are different cuts, different preparations and of course different breeds. Me? I care about humane treatment of animals and healthy eating, but first and foremost I want something that tastes really good. And so do chefs. One the last day of the Certified Angus Beef conference in West Virginia I got to hang out with chefs at the bucolic Ironside Ranch. It was a great opportunity to eat, talk and learn what cuts and types of beef they serve and sell.

I spoke with three outstanding and award-winning chefs--Govind Armstrong who has been involved in a variety of different restaurants including a chain of burger joints, Keoni Chang, a corporate chef with a supermarket from Hawaii, who has a CIA culinary degree and a restaurant background and Matt Hill, a steak house chef who has also worked in fine dining and also has a CIA culinary degree. I learned while they each have their personal preferences, ultimately they all believe in offering variety to their customers.

Govind Armstrong, Post & Beam (and 8 oz Burger Bar), Los Angeles CA

I was excited to meet chef Govind Armstrong, especially after enjoying a fantastic meal he served the night before. His beef preparations included a sous vide then seared dry aged filet of strip and crisp smoked beef bacon. Govind told me he has been using Certified Angus Beef for many years, he first learned about it when he worked with chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. He was impressed with the quality and has used it ever since. He appreciates the consistency and though he uses different cuts at the different restaurants he is affiliated with, he's a fan of the culotte. The tenderness and consistency mean "it's one less thing I have to worry about." 

He enjoys good quality meat and told me he has spent time in Argentina where all beef is  strictly grass fed and finished. The beef is a different texture, but one he appreciates saying it's grassier but that it's not what he wants everyday. He uses the middle meats such as the strip loin and barrel cut (a marbled part of the rib eye). He's a fan of cooking beef sous vide and adds seasonings and clarified butter to add flavor and richness. He noted different in some places like Mississippi and Louisiana, everyone tends to want their beef well done and that affects his choice of beef as well. 

Keoni Chang, Foodland Supermarkets, Honolulu HI

Keoni, a chef with a fine dining background told me he was brought on board at Foodland to improve the quality of the perishable food in the supermarket from the bakery through to the deli. The store was offering mostly Select grade beef and he felt it was important to expand the options. He likes the Choice grade and tried another company's product before settling on Certified Angus Beef. His stores also carry local and grass fed beef. The population in Hawaii is used to often using thinner cuts for Asian preparations but he says they are starting to want more thick steaks they can grill too. 

Which is best? He says it comes down to a lifestyle choice for most people and he wants to satisfy as many customers as he can. He focuses on the sub primals such as the top sirloin, rib eye, strip loin and one of his favorite, the boneless short ribs off the chuck which he says has great marbling. When it comes to the Choice grade, he points out there is a lot of variation from beef that is just a cut above Select to beef that is almost Prime. With Certified Angus Beef, he says "we are getting close to the Prime experience."

Matt Hill, Charlie Palmer Steak, Washington DC

Matt told me he chooses Certified Angus Beef for the consistency it provides. He appreciates the higher level of marbling and tender product. In taste tests he preferred Certified Angus Beef dry aged strip loins to American wagyu beef, referencing the mouthfeel in particular. 

He also buys locally raised grass fed quarters and whole animals and enjoys breaking down the product in his restaurant. For grass fed he prepares carpaccio and charcuterie, while for Certified Angus Beef he is particularly fond of the culotte. He also admitted that farm to table is easier to do with pork than with beef. 

Note: Matt was one of StarChef's Rising Stars in 2010 and has just left Charlie Palmer Steak to work at a new concept. Stay tuned! 

Disclosure: I was a guest at the Certified Angus Beef conference and my travel expenses were covered, however I was not paid to write this or any other post.

Carrot & Leek Risotto with Mix-Ins

I've had zero food inspiration for a while now, and I constantly whine about this on my twitter and facebook. (Well, it feels like it's pretty constant.) Thankfully, I have lots of foodie friends, ready to provide inspiration or just remind me of stuff I really like. Like risotto. It used to be one of Titus favorite foods too, but he's a pretty picky eater right now. We placated him by serving separate bowls of mix-ins, and a pretty basic (but still flavorful) risotto. He ended up eating all of the corn (as usual) and some risotto - not bad.

Carrot & Leek Risotto with Mix-Ins
serves 3


1/2 leek, finely sliced
2 large carrots, coarsely grated
1 tbsp butter
300 ml risotto rice (use your favorite, I'm very partial to arborio)
200 ml white wine
1000 ml vegetable stock
handful of parmesan cheese
1-2 tsp runny honey
1/2-1 tsp chipotle sauce

Heat the butter in a large pot, and the stock in another pan. Fry the leek and the carrots in butter for a few minutes without letting it color. Add the rice and turn up the heat. Let it color a little. Add the wine, and let it bubble fiercely for a minute or two. Then start adding the stock. Add more as soon as the rice looks dry. It should take about 20 minutes in total - taste the rice so you know when it's done. It should have a little bite to it. You might not need all the stock, or you might need more. (just add hot water then.)

Stir in the cheese, and season with honey,  and a little bit of chipotle sauce. Use regular chilli powder or cayenne pepper if you can't get chipotle, but the lightly smoked flavor really works here.

Mix-ins:
100 g mushrooms, quartered
100 g bacon, chopped
100 g peas, thawed (or fresh)
100 g corn, thawed (or fresh)

Fry the bacon and place in a bowl. Fry the mushrooms in the bacon fat, and serve in a separate bowl. Just serve the corn and peas, separately, as they are.

Tarte Tatin – See What the Others Aren’t Willing to Show You

When I looked at some other tarte tatin recipes on YouTube, I noticed that very few showed the “flip on to the plate” step. They would just skip from the out of the oven shot to the final beauty shot. The reason of course, is that very few tarte tatins come out of the hot pan perfectly, and if they showed that, then you may not think they are as awesome as their profile says they are.

So, it’s with much pride that I show you the whole ugly scene that is the tarte tatin dismount. The good news is, it’s very simple to slap everything back on the crust before it cools, and none will be the wiser. This is even easier if you’re doing a version with very soft and tender apples and lots of caramel, which is my preference, as you’ll see.

If you do a Google image search for a classic, old recipe like this, you usually see a lot of photos that look alike, but that’s not necessarily so with tarte tatin. You’ll see an amazingly diverse array, which is fascinating since they were all made with the same few basic ingredients. Most of this is a result of cooking time in the pan before baking.

Some feature firm, barely cooked apples, while others cook the fruit all the way down to a buttery, caramelized jam. The beauty of a recipe that uses just pastry dough, butter, apples and sugar to make the magic, is that no matter how yours comes out you’ll enjoy it. Of course, you’ll want to hedge your bets with some vanilla bean ice cream to be safe. I hope you give this classic French treat a try soon. Enjoy!

3 large apples, quartered

3 tbsp butter

3/4 cup sugar

pie dough for a single crust

View the complete recipe 

Homemade Strawberry Fruit Leather

Can I whine?  Ok, I'm going to, my blog, thanks.

I had a post ready to go yesterday - a slow cooked shredded pork for Taco Tuesday - went to get my computer and found it SWIMMING in a puddle of water.  Yes, 3-year-old, accidents happen, it's okay, giant fake smile on my face.  My computer won't turn on.  Was it backed up?  I don't know.  Will I lose all the recent photos of my daughter's birth?  Quite possibly.  CRISSCROSS APPLESAUCE!  (That's what my son's preschool teachers say when they're upset, which is much more pleasant than the words floating around my brain.)

Also there has been a confirmed case of lice at my son's school.  I know, I know, you have 3 kids and you get these emails all the time and I should not panic.  But I'm panicking.  Help.  How do I prevent him from getting it?  Send him to school in a swim cap, a friend suggested.  A Spiderman mask?  CRISSCROSS APPLEBUTTHEAD!  (I'd make a great teacher.)     

Fruit leather...

Now that my son attends school everyday in lice-land, I've been obsessing over the site Weelicious.  Catherine offers an infinite amount of healthy and creative lunch ideas.  I will admit, I'm slightly overwhelmed trying to find the time to make most of them with two kids, but this fruit leather was absurdly easy.  Puree some strawberries with honey and bake.  Done.  Recipe here.  

Thank you Catherine!  

Check out that cute head.  See any lice????