Birfday!!

Yesterday, my blog turned two.  

That might be me at two.  Mom?  Yes?  

I'm not trying to terrify you with vintage clowns... 

or strangle your chubby necks with those tight-ass birthday hats. 

Just want to say THANK YOU.  For reading.

This blog has brought joy to my heart and butter to my thighs, 

and I don't regret a single post.

Fine maybe I regret this one a little bit. 

(I promise I will have something new for you tomorrow)

Merguez Sausage & Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash – Let’s Go Edible Bowling

I’ve received a few requests lately for a demo on how to do chili in an edible bread bowl. I’m not sure if these people don’t know it’s simply a round loaf with a hole dug out of it, or if they’re just into watching me teach incredibly obvious things, but that’s one food wish that may not come true. What’s next, watch Chef John make ice?

Anyway, unlike the aforementioned bread bowl, this sausage and rice stuffed acorn squash recipe is an example of an edible vessel that begs for a detailed demonstration. The stuffing is very easy, as is the cooking method, but the acorn squash prep does need to be done carefully and with precision.

As far as the ingredients go, this will work with any sausage, but please keep in mind you’ll want to adjust your seasonings depending on what you choose. I used mint because it pairs very well with the spicy lamb sausage, but basil or parsley may work better with a hot Italian sausage, for example.

This really is a recipe that’s greater than the sum of its parts. I love the way the flavors seep deep into the soft, sweet flesh of the squash. What a great cold weather meal. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 Portions:

2 acorn squash, halved, seeded

8 oz spicy lamb sausage, or any raw sausage

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

3 tbsp buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 egg

1 cup cooked rice

1 tbsp plain breadcrumbs

1 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tsp olive oil

*Bake at 350 degrees F., loosely covered for 1 hour, then uncover for 30 minutes or until tender.

Holiday desserts: Vanilla Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Apples

While this is not, perhaps, screaming "christmas", it's such a great winter dessert. And certainly perfect if you're getting a bit sick of the usual holiday flavors. And if you're not, go ahead and add some gingerbread spices to your apples - some cardamom, cloves and ginger would be excellent with the cinnamon. Feel free!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Apples
4 small servings

200 ml cream (full-fat)
1 gelatine sheet
2 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
1 cinnamon stick, crushed


Topping:
1 apple, very finely diced
1 tbsp sugar
the vanilla and cinnamon from above

Soak the gelatine in cold water for five minutes.

Put the cream in a small saucepan with the sugar, vanilla (both the scraped out seeds, and the bean itself) and the cinnamon. Let it infuse for ten minutes. Pass through a sieve (but save the vanilla and cinnamon!) and add the now-softened gelatine sheet. Stir well to make sure it's dissolved. Pour into suitable containers - small glasses or cups - and let it set for at least four hours in the fridge.

For the topping: Mix diced apples, sugar, and the leftover vanilla and cinnamon from the panna cotta, in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then remove from heat. Let it sit while the panna cotta sets. Fish out the spices, and then spoon the topping over the puddings just before serving.

Recipe in Swedish:
Vaniljpannacotta med kaneläpple

KHA @ 38 Martin Road .... New Home for KHA but still equally impressive

KHA was first located among the greenery of Horts park when the park was introduced to Singapore.  It's now relocated ....

... to Martin No. 38, a luxury residential development along Martin Road, and is clustered alongside it's sister restaurants, Graze and Provisions.

Kha, in it's old abode, made use of Hort's park natural green surrounding, as centre stage to it's decor. Now, having mostly indoor tables in a new place, more attention was made to adorn the interior. Nobody could miss King Bhumibol's face on an enlarged stamp hung as a centre piece in the restaurant.

Although operating at a different place with contrasting ambience, the character of KHA's food still remains unchanged. Their intriguing array of signature "before-meals" cocktails are definitely a draw for the expat community in the new address. For all I know from this visit, they were still serving superb Thai gourmet with a modern setting. Here's what we had during MIL's birthday and they were all really good.

Kra Poh Pla Nam Daeng - Fish Maw Soup, Crab Meat, Prawn, Quail Eggs, Black Vinegar

Tom Ka Gai - Chicken Galangal Coconut Soup

Tom Yum Goong - Hot Sour King Prawn Broth, Lemongrass

Papa Adun's Phad Tow Hu - Papa Adun's Famous Wok Fried Crispy Tofu, Alfafa and Three Flavour Sauce

Tod Man Poo Thai Crab and Prawn Cakes, Green Mango Salad, Yoghurt, Sweet Chili Sauce.

I asked for a Double Cooked Honey Chilli Pork Ribs which is a chef's recommendation but the manager recommended this pork belly instead. So good that we were swooning over it in no time.

Phad Thai - Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Poached Prawns, Tofu and Banana Blossom Salad.

Gaeng Sam Yang 3 Signature KHA Curries - Green Chicken, Penang Beef, Red Vegetarian

Pha Yang Bai Tong - Chargrilled Seabass with Lemongrass in Banana Leaf Spicy Dill Chili Sauce

There are some restaurants that you don't mind going back for more and KHA is definitely one of them. The only reservations is their price point. So, it's gonna be just going back on occasions ....


38 Martin Road
Martin No. 38
Singapore
Tel : +65 6476 9000


Opening Hours :
Mon~Sat
Lunch 12pm~3pm
Dinner 6pm~11pm
Closed on Sundays


KHA Website

Christmas candy: Gingerbread Toffee

If gingerbread cookies aren't your thing, how about some gingerbread toffee? This makes a soft, chewy toffee - you can cook it for longer if you want a harder toffee.

Gingerbread Toffee

100 ml cream (full fat)
50 ml golden syrup
100 ml / 80 g sugar
1 tsp gingerbread spices (cloves, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom)
1 tbsp butter

Make a small form out of greaseproof paper, or use any small form and grease it.

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil on low-medium heat until you reach 122-125 °C. I strongly suggest using a thermometer, but if you don't, it's done when you can drop a little of the batter in cold water and roll it into a soft ball. This takes different time in different saucepan, but estimate 20-30 minutes. Or so.

Pour the toffee carefully in your prepared form, and let it cool. When it's cold, but before it's rock solid, cut into suitably large pieces, and roll up in greaseproof paper.

Recipe in Swedish:
Pepparkakskola

L'Entrecote .... only steak frites

L'Entrecote is a French restaurant where the owners decided not to serve too many types of dishes but to just perfect one. That would be Steak Frites for them and steak frites would be the only mains on the menu.

This French Bistro is nestled among the quaint stretch of conservation houses on Duxton Hill.

Here's the restaurant where you have to wait outside and only to be allowed inside when everyone in your party arrives. By the way, L'Entrecote do not take reservations and there are not many tables. So, the restaurant can be packed and the wait can be quite enduring. How packed? I observed that if you're seated with your back against the long side of the dining area, there are times that the waiters have to pull out the tables to get you out of your seats. Sometimes, the adjoining tables can be 20cm apart.

Here's what we came here for ..... Steak Frites. The steak came pre-sliced and had the butter based sauce drizzled over the beef. The flavorful sauce seemed to be the main enticement for the dish. Apart from that, the crispy thin cut French fries played second fiddle but nevertheless irresistible. Shown in this photo was a half portion. HY and I shared the full portion.

The chocolate drenched profiteroles that could do no wrong ....

36 Duxton Hill
Singapore
Tel : +65 6238 5700


Opening Hours :
Mon~Fri 12noon~10.30pm
Saturdays and Public Holidays 6pm~10.30pm


L'Entrecote Website

Salta Argentine Parrilla + Grocer .... Argentinian BBQ that's Delicioso

I'm a lover of grilled meats over charcoal fire. So, any restaurant that served them well would appeal to me. Charcoal fire extoll the goodness of the meat's own natural flavors by melting it's fats that got impinged on the meat and providing the juiciness for that hearty, satisfying enjoyment. Salta brought in a 5 metres long fire pit, called a parrilla, into the restaurant to serve out tantalizing chargrilled Argentinian meats. To us, a parilla is very similar to a barbeque pit. The asador's (barbeque chef) skill would involve controlling the fire and the proximity of the food to the fire, at a precise timing, to get the grilled meat to look delicious with the slightly charred exterior and the juicy tasty interior.

For entradas (starters) we, tried the Matambre which is stuffed beef roulade with mushroom, mixed salad and balsamic reduction. It really looked appetizing especially when were hungry on a Friday evening.

Here a slice of beef roulade that taste like a thicker slice of pancetta but not really savory as we liked it to be. The meat was pretty bland actually if not for the balsamic reduction that we used as dip sauce.

Empanadas are pastries filled with meat and/or vegetables. The Humita Empanadas, pastries filled with sweet corn and cream (one of their Signature), were served to us in a rustic wooden dish.

The pastry was light, flaky and we all love the obvious buttery richness. This empanadas tasted quite like the Polar Chicken pie but just without the chicken.

The Parillada was what we came here for. It's a mixed grill of short ribs, beef skirt, chicken, black hog pork, mixed sausage, lamb rack with vegetables and potatoes. I would say this dish made me happy as a clam, a contrary to reviews I read about their parrillada. The assorted sausages were good but we had to fight over it as we ordered a parillada for two to be shared between three adults who had just been set loose from final spurts in the office on a Friday evening. We ask for our beef to be medium rare and they were indeed succulent to the core. W and J teased me that it tasted like Cut's beef as I'm the only one in the group that haven't tried steak from Cut. The lamb rack was superb. Non of the overpowering smell of lamb which I don't really like. Even the chicken which some had gripes about being too dry turned out perfect. The meats were all simply salted which is how I liked to eat them cos' good meat shouldn't be cooked too complicated that it discounts it's original character.  If you are here just for Argentinian beef cuts, they would impress with good portions at a reasonable price.

Served together with the Parillada was a small heap of grilled eggplant, zucchini and potato slices.

We ordered a serving of sweet potato fries, thinking that we need more carbohydrates. I think we should have given this a pass. Barracks Cafe still serve the better sweet potato fries in town.

With the standards set by the Parrillada, it's no wonder my cousin waxed lyrical about Salta's Argentinian beef. At Salta, you have good quality meats, prepared well, and most importantly, at prices that wouldn't burn a hole in the pocket.


12 Gopeng Street
#01-56 Icon Village
Singapore
Tel : +65 6225 8443


Opening Hours :
Mon~Sat 
11:30am~2:30pm
6:30pm~10:30pm


Salta Website

Francois Payard's Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies

few words to say about these cookies except...

WOW...CHOCOLATE WHAM !

the best compliment in the world came from my ever so  fabulous chocoholic mother, who just so happens to be my greatest 'constructive' criticizer...

at first i hear nothing...silence.  then...

"hmmmm...this tastes like one of those $5.00 cookies"

these little, or rather large, gems have been around the block a few times and i have made something similar a while back, BUT i have never used this recipe and exact method...and i made sure i used grade A fabulous Dutch cocoa powder.  well worth the trip to the culinary store (SLT) to get the good stuff.

like i said...few words.  not only do i implore you to add these to your holiday treat list, BUT these are so easy to make, they are a huge chocolate lovers dream AND a big hit for those GLUTEN-FREE peeps that often have to miss out on a good thing.

a few quick notes...

do not over beat.  this should be a little runny, gooey and sticky.

when taking them off the parchment...peel them as though you are peeling an annoying sticky price tag off.  these DO stick to the parchment a bit...so don't be in a rush with the spatula. 

these keep well if completely cooled and stored in an airtight container.  do not stack.  i put a double piece of parchment in between the layers and was very careful not to put one directly over the other.

they get chewier the second day, but still have a crisp to them.

FRANCOIS PAYARD'S FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE- WALNUT COOKIES

recipe found here and copied for your convenience below

2 3/4 cups walnut halves...i only had about 2 cups

3 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 large egg whites, room temp.

1 Tbsp (TABLESPOON) pure vanilla extract

i also added 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate...GOOD for extra WHAM factor.

preheat oven to 350 F. to toast your walnuts.

lay your walnuts out on a sheet pan and toast your walnuts, approx. 9 minutes.

(i did them in my Breville Smart Oven on # 2)...watch them closely.

let the walnuts cool and coarsely chop.  set aside.

position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and...

LOWER THE TEMP. to 320 F.

in a large bowl, or on low in a stand mixer,  whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt followed by the chopped walnuts.  while whisking, turn your speed to medium and add the egg whites and vanilla extract.  beat until just combined.  DO NOT OVER BEAT OR THE BATTER WILL STIFFEN.  

spoon the batter onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Francois says 12 evenly spaced mounds...i got 8 per tray (2 trays) and did a second baking with 4, making 20 total.  as you can see mine were fairly large.  

bake them for 14 - 16 minutes until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.  shift the pans bottom to top and front to back halfway through to ensure even baking.

slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto 2 wire racks and cool cookies completely before attempting to remove. 

as stated above...don't rush to use a spatula.  these will be semi stuck to the parchment.  peel the parchment slowly from the bottom of the cookie.

store in airtight container.  do not stack without parchment or something in between.

i know they will disappear quickly, but i kept a couple aside and the 3rd day they were still outstanding.

Deboning a Turkey by Proxy

After posting my turkey ballotine photos from Thanksgiving, I was inundated with requests (demands) for a video demonstration. Of course, that would have meant buying and eating another turkey, so I decided to take the easy way out and post this clip from one of my heroes, Jacques Pépin.

This is from pepinfan’s YouTube page, and it looks to be an episode from the venerable chef’s public television series. This was the exact same technique I used on the turkey, except I needed to use a knife for several steps that he's simply doing with his hands. Hopefully it gives you some idea how it’s done. Enjoy!

Holiday Baking: Time for Pepparkakor

No Swedish christmas is complete without pepparkakor, our crisp gingerbread cookies. The name translates into "pepper cookies" which is actually not very correct, as they don't contain pepper and aren't spicy in a hot sort of way. They're very aromatic though, flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and sometimes a small amount of bitter orange peel.

I have three recipes for pepparkakor. This one is perhaps the most traditional, and definitely the one that gets the most hits. This is similar, but made with dinkel - spelt - flour and results in a crunchier cookie. And this one is my current favorite, with a super-easy to make dough. I've made a batch already, and it's resting in the fridge. And the dough does need resting - for at least one day, but preferrably one week, or even two. (Or three, but that's the limit.) So it's a good idea to make the dough now, and bake in a few weeks time. (Or tomorrow.)

Pho Phi Truong

UPDATE:  This restaurant is closed; Nhi Huong (2 Sisters) is now at this location.

My plan of expanding my children's tastebuds is working...sort of.  They have moved on from grilled chicken to pork chop on broken rice, but they are now all so obsessed with it, they all insist they want it.  Unfortunately, the photo-hungry food blogger in me is always trying to convince them to order something else!

Pho Phi Truong is a great place in Sunshine to feed their obsession.  It specialises in pho (apparently MSG free?!) but also has a full menu, right up to banquet-style live seafood.  I like the decor - modern but not cold, still with a bit of welcoming kitsch.

Grilled pork shop, shredded pork, egg, pate, broken rice $9

A fine example of com tam dac biet - crisp marinated pork chop, a well-fried egg, a slice of pork/noodle "cake", a tangle of bi (shredded pork skin) and a few pickled vegies.  My only complaint was that the pork chop was very thin.  The kids loved it though.

Shaking beef red rice $9

Great bo luc lac or "shaking beef".  This is cubes of beef, quickly "shaken" in a searing wok with just a little garlic and soy, maybe a bit of onion or capsicum.  This beef was really tender and tasty and had just a lick of sauce, the way we like it.  Billy wondered if the garlic might be a bit too overpowering, but I liked it.  Garlic fiend, moi?

Seafood coleslaw $18

One of the high points of Vietnamese food for me is Vietnamese coleslaw.  It's just heavenly with lightly pickled, sweet vegetables like shredded carrot and white daikon radish, lots of fresh mint and coriander, the crunch of roasted peanuts and golden fried shallots and your choice of protein.  This seafood coleslaw was superb, with fabulous fresh calamari, good prawns and yummy, thinly-sliced fish cake.  Coleslaws are often relatively expensive, sometimes up to $29.  I'm not sure why, maybe they're a sharing thing for a whole table.

Salt and pepper chicken ribs, egg rice $10

After disappointing fried chicken recently at Mr Lee in West Melbourne, these chicken ribs were sublime.  The chicken was really fresh and juicy, covered in tongue-tingling, ultra-crispy batter that was just divine.  If you get in quick and pick off any fresh chilli before it soaks in, the kids love these.  They came with white rice cooked with a little egg (not seen this before).

Vietnamese white coffee (iced) $3

My fix - Vietnamese iced coffee.  Wakes you up like a cold shower!  Pho Phi Truong have pandan tea as standard in the thermoses on the tables.  It's very floral and a gorgeous South Vietnamese touch.

Ooh, eyeing off that dau hu nhat rang muoi - salt and pepper tofu.  Oh yeah!  Goi ga farm is coleslaw with free range (ie, "farm") chicken.  Bo tai chanh is a great dish, kind of like Vietnamese "crying tiger" salad (a Thai dish) but the beef is cured in lemon juice before being served in a salad like the coleslaw above.  If you can help with any other translations, or if I have my canhs and chanhs confused, let me know!



Pho Pi Truong
255 Hampshire Road, Sunshine
Phone:  9311 6522
Hours:  7 days, 9.30am-9.30pm


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Holiday Cooking: Saffron Carbonara

December 1! That means that the holidays are nearly here - well, I like to celebrate all through December. We have advent calendars too - Titus has one with small gifts that his grandmother prepared, and we each have a chocolate calendar. And I have a special luxury chocolate calendar as well... lucky me!

So, I plan to post christmas food, cookies and candy from now until christmas. Maybe a few gift ideas as well, and maybe some christmas-y cookbook reviews. Some will be new, and some will be old. But to kick-start things, try an easy weeknight dinner with holiday flavors: Saffron Carbonara. It's delicious!

Saffron Carbonara
serves 3-4

4oo g pasta (I used a kind called Mezze Maniche)
140 g bacon
2 garlic cloves
125 ml white wine
200 ml water
1/2 g saffron
3 egg yolks
100 ml grated parmesan cheese
black pepper

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil, for the pasta. Cook it to al dente.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the 200 ml of water to boil. Add the saffron, and let it simmer on low heat.

Fry the bacon until crispy in a large pan. Add the garlic and fry for an additional minute. Add the wine, and let it bubble away.

When the pasta is done, drain it but save some of the cooking water. Pour the pasta into the pan, and add the saffron water. Season with black pepper.

Whisk the egg yolks with 100 ml of the set-aside pasta water and add this to the pan, along with the cheese. Stir well and serve right away. (Add more pasta water if it's too thick.)

Recipe in Swedish:
Saffranscarbonara

Easy as Chocolate Pecan Pie

Despite the colloquial idiom, pies are not that easy, and in my opinion, it’s not the dough that separates the good from the great, it’s the fillings. With fresh fruit pies, you have to worry about too much or too little liquid. Custard-based fillings are texturally tricky; and don’t even get me started on lemon meringue.

However, there’s one category of pie whose fillings are so easy, they’re nearly impossible to mess up. That would be the seasonally appropriate nut pie. If you can work a whisk, and set a timer, you have what it takes to excel in this genre.

We added a handful of chocolate chips, but the recipe is based on this one from Allrecipes.com, which I came across looking for corn syrup free versions. By the way, it’s not that I think corn syrup is a “bad” ingredient, I just know that most people don’t have it on hand, and I’d hate for them to buy a whole bottle when a perfectly wonderful pie can be made without it.

In fact, the filling is so deliciously decadent the crust is almost an afterthought. If you ever want to rationalize buying a frozen pie shell, this is your chance. Of course, if you want real “homemade,” you can check out this video recipe for making pie dough, but the point is, either way your chocolate pecan pie is going to rock. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell

2 eggs

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I didn't add in this recipe, but suggest you do. Add with the sugars.)

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans