The Adventures of an Oven

Chocolate Mousse

2012-01-21T14:12:00.001+11:00

I know this supplier that makes beautiful chocolate mousse, both dark and white chocolate with crunchy bits of chocolate grated on top. Over the Christmas period, they were closed so they weren't able to supply the restaurant with mousse so the boss decided to make his own. If he didn't tell me that he made it from scratch himself, I wouldn't have known the difference. I don't know the suppliers name but I know that they charge about $80 to teach you to make their chocolate mousse.

I'm going to teach you how to make FOR FREE!! I had a friend ask me how to make mousse conveniently right after I learnt how to make it. I don't know where my mate got his recipe from but it kind of failed.

It is so easy to make and only consists of four ingredients. Eggs, cream, butter and chocolate. I just used regular Cadbury milk and white chocolate but you can use whatever you like. Basically the quantities are 200g of chocolate melted, 3 egg yolks, 3 egg whites whipped into soft peaks, 600ml of thick cream whipped into soft peaks and 30g of melted butter. Do not use light cream! I bought light cream at Coles for 13c!!!! So I bought a bunch and it never whipped. It ended up curdling so I had to go out to the supermarket to get thickened cream. I think the fat in the cream actually helps the cream to whip. I was whipping for about ten minutes till I realised the light cream wasn't whipping and when I used the full cream one it whipped in less than a minute (I used a machine).

Basically what you need to do is separate the eggs and whip the egg whites into soft peaks. Then whip the cream. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and then vigourously mix in the egg yolks and butter into the chocolate. You need to do this quickly so you don't scramble the eggs. Once you've done that, fold in half of the egg whites and half of the cream into the chocolate mixture. For best results use a metal spoon as it is thinner and pushes out less air when folding. When fully combined, fold in the rest of the cream and egg whites. Put in an airtight container and let it sit in the fridge for at least two hours for it to set. Repeat with the other chocolate.

That's pretty much how to make it. Four ingredients; simple as.

Better than KFC

2012-01-11T23:16:00.002+11:00

Who's New Years resolution was to eat more healthy food? Well it wasn't mine so I'm going to ruin it for those of you that did have that resolution. If you love KFC, then you'll definitely love this. Why not try making this yourself when you do get that craving again?

Jamie's America is probably the most post it noted and used book on my shelf and this is where this came from. I was particularly interested because no one knows the 12 secret herbs and spices of KFC's chicken but I'd imagine there'd be a few numbers in there. So this is a recreation of those 12 secret herbs and spices although there aren't 12.

I used chicken thighs and cut them into thinner and smaller slices so that they would cook all the way through. Chicken thighs also have the most flavour as they are very moist compared to the breast which is super dry once you even slightly over cook it. To get a lovely crunchy coating, the chicken was dipped and coated twice in the batter and flour mixture.

The batter consisted of dried thyme leaves, finely chopped garlic and chilli, juice of a lime, salt and pepper and about 300ml of butter milk. The flour had paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper added to it. I think the butter milk gave the end result a perfect texture. The outer coating that fried up turned out super crunchy and delicious where as the butter milk gave the underlying layer a nice and creamy finish.

To be served right away while its lovely and crispy with a 'kick-ass salad' to balance it out. However, I had it after climbing and it was still amazing cold. You could also whip up your own mayo to go with it or drizzle caesar dressing over it.

Banana fritters

2011-12-18T19:13:00.004+11:00

Anything can be deep fried. Vegetables, fruit, meat, chocolate and even sushi. While I was waiting for mum to make me food, she told me to deep fry these. We were testing which batter was better and which gave a better result.

Mum's batter

She had this korean flour sort of thing which I think is used to make korean pancakes. She mixed that with water and dipped the bananas to then fry it in hot oil. I used a tempura batter which didn't turn out to be perfect but it worked out alright in the end. Mum's batter wasn't crispy and mine wasn't as crispy as I'd liked it to be. But in the end we just dusted it with icing sugar and served it with icecream.

My batter

Just cut the bananas into thirds or so. Don't slice them length ways because mum says that's a different type of banana fritter. Just keep them whole and fry them in hot oil until golden which only takes about a minute. It does need a dusting of icing sugar because it isn't sweet enough.

Crumbed Beetroot

2011-12-07T16:08:00.001+11:00

I remember how my taste buds were when I was a little kid and it's amazing how they have changed so drastically as I grew. I used to live off rice and fried egg with soysauce and mi goreng. I would not eat anything green or weird looking, no vegetables and hardly any fruit. I wouldn't even eat the lettuce in a McChicken. I don't even eat McChickens any more! One of the strongest memories I have of when my thoughts of food changed was when my mum was eating lettuce with her food. She wrapped some Thai food in lettuce and I just listened to the crisp crunch every time she bit through her food. I looked down at my egg and rice and thought why not give that a go. To be honest, I wasn't completely convinced of it at first but it grew on me.

To this day, new and different types of food and ingredients are introduced to me and I'm not afraid to try new things (there are a few exceptions). I've only started eating beetroot last year. I tried it when I was working in a burger joint in my burger and I liked it (these were canned). It is now a popular entree dish at the current restaurant I work at using fresh beetroots (beetroot with walnuts, goats cheese and rocket) and it's delicious.

I know this dish doesn't look like much but the amazingly juicy sweet beetroot taste compensates for this. Beetroot has a rich source of antioxidants and nutrients and is really good for you. The method of cookery I used to cooked these was to boil them. I boiled them for about an hour with about two tablespoons of vinegar. I think boiling them is the most common way to cook these to soften them all the way through. It's versatile and can be served in a variety of ways. To check if they're cooked, insert a knife through and if it inserts all the way through easily then its cooked.

Pandan Pannacotta with Coconut Coulis

2011-12-02T00:21:00.001+11:00

I borrowed some gelatin leaves from work to make these little babies. Vanilla beans are just so expensive which is why I substituted it for pandan. It's quite strong so the aromas and flavours dominated over every thing. Sugar wasn't necessary but I only learnt this after I tasted it at the end. It was super sweet with the coconut coulis and it kind of made me feel sick. I also think that one too many gelatin leaves were added.

It was a good idea though. I chopped open a coconut, drink all the good juices and scooped out the flesh. Blending the coconut with a bit of its juice gave me the coconut coulis. I applied the same technique of making a strawberry coulis to coconut but it actually didn't work too well because coconut flesh isn't too juicy and was quite solid.

Anyway, I have five of these left. Anyone want to try one?

Roast leg of lamb with sage, rosemary and copper

2011-11-30T16:36:00.001+11:00

I like supporting small businesses and I would go out of my way to avoid large supermarket chains. It just feels like the right thing to do to buy from a butcher, deli or green grocer because they are the ones who are surviving in a market of such fierce competition. Their produce is also usually cheaper and fresher because it is those smaller businesses who get first pick of things from their suppliers. Sometimes the difference is subtle but other times it's obvious.

The reasons I'm blabbing on about small businesses versus large enterprises is because I bought copper from the deli today and I thought that this deli that opened up in an Asian populated area needs people like me to help support them. I was actually looking for pancetta but they didn't stock any so I asked what was the closest to that. They recommended 'copper' which was a smaller roll of meat. It was cheaper at only $10/kg and less saltier than pancetta.

I needed to use my sage before it went off. I pretty much cut every single stem of sage from my garden because I wanted it to regrow. I found 5 tiny caterpillars eating its way through my sage garden. Funny how they only eat sage and chilli leaves. I saved the leaves that were still whole and uneaten for this. I flicked straight to the index in some of my books and looked for sage. Alas, I found this and it told me to ground up half the sage leaves with garlic and salt and lemon then mix it with chopped up rosemary and sage. This mixture was then stuffed into several pockets within the lamb made by a sharp knife.

It told me to roast it at 220 degrees celcius but my oven is so pathetic that when I preheated the oven to 250 and put the leg in, the temperature dropped by 70 and took an extra 10-15 minutes to reach its maximum of 200 degrees. It worked well though. I also found that you shouldn't rely word for word on what cookbooks say. It stated the cooking times:

pink - 10 minutes for every 450g plus 20 minutes

medium - 13 minutes for every 450g plus 20 minutes

well-done - 20 minutes for every 450g plus 20 minutes

Let me adjust these times a little bit because it certainly didn't work too well for me. I had a 2.2kg of lamb therefore I should have put it in for 64minutes plus 20 minutes if I wanted it to be medium. I put my lamb in at 200 degrees celcius in a conventional oven for 60 minutes and it came out medium well. Hence:

pink - 8 minutes for every 450g

medium - 10 minutes for every 450g

well-done - 13 minutes for every 450g

I think that's a rough guide to how you should roast your leg of lamb for and I hope it works. I will be trialling these times in the future to see if they are correct and if they vary with bastes and stuffings.

Cinnamon Doughnuts

2011-11-23T13:18:00.001+11:00

If you've travelled down south, you may have heard of a place called Berry. They are famous for their doughnuts served from a little moveable food van. Doughnuts are cheap as and are made to order. It's only a few minutes wait before your order is served hot and fresh.

This trip is what inspired me to make my own. Although I didn't achieve the same soft and fluffy texture, I think I did an okay job. I got a bit lazy with forming the typical round shape so I just made baton like doughnuts which is not uncommon seeing as churros are quite long.

This doughnut batter consisted of boiling water, unsalted butter, plain flour, egg, and baking soda. All were readily available so I set to work. Once they were done, they were sprinkled with caster sugar and cinnamon. Exams are finally done and my three month break awaits me so hopefully there will be more cooking in my kitchen.

Crumbed Tofu Fingers

2011-11-07T20:59:00.002+11:00

It's odd isn't it that I'm cooking and posting more this week right before my examinations start and I will probably be posting more during the week. I think it's the ultimate way to procrastinate because it gets your mind off things, relaxes you and grocery shopping is super fun (no honestly, it is). I was also up till about 1am reading cookbooks instead of my study notes.

Served with Ayam Plum Sauce

I was particularly thinking about two vegetarians (one is also lactose intolerant) when flipping through the pages of Wild Vegan. Whenever I make food, she's never able to eat it because there's either always some sort of meat in it or if there isn't, there's dairy. So this book was perfect for her. However, going through this book I found it difficult to find anything interesting. I ended up going to the index to find something that sounds remotely nice and here it is.

It was actually supposed to be a 'schnitzel' but I think it looked more like fingers. This one also caught my eye because I could have used the breadcrumbs that I made yesterday (yay!!). The flavours are interesting in this one because the firm tofu was marinated in apple juice, soy sauce, tabasco, balsamic vinegar and garlic. I'm not sure about how strict vegans are with soy sauce but thats the only department where I cheated.

Although it lacked presentation, it tasted nice. Anything deepfried and crumbed is nice. I once remember I had deep fried sushi back in the day. I had it almost every day for a year and I gained 15kgs. Anyway. because the tofu was only left in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes (should leave for at least two hours for the flavours to sink in) I'm not too sure that all the flavours shone through.

Instead of using flour and egg wash to coat, I mixed soy milk with flour to create a thin batter which allowed the breadcrumbs to then stick

Here's a handy vegan tofu tip: to give tofu a denser texture, pop in the freezer overnight then let it defrost in the fridge. That will allow the tofu to toughen therefore giving you the effect of a fuller meal.

Respect goes out to all those vegans out there. I envy your ability to persevere in this world of carnivores and enjoy your lifestyle of meat free meals. And even more respect goes out to those vegan-lactose intolerant-celiacs - I really don't know how you survive.

Ricotta Avocado and Smoked Salmon Toast

2011-11-06T19:26:00.001+11:00

When daylight is bestowed upon you awakening, it brings great joy and excitement. It beats the perfect coffee, breakfast and kickstart for the day. Don't you just love waking up to a beautiful warm morning, blue skies and annoying Vietnamese radio cranked up at 9am in the morning? It's just lovely.

The perfect hangover cure is this - actually its not but I just like that phrase and tell everyone that the food I present is always a perfect hangover cure. I had a strange desire to have smoked salmon yesterday so I ventured out to the supermarket to grab a packet despite all these ingredients that I had to use before they expire.

When I arrived home, mother had brought home two large loafs of bread. It was impossible to finish them so I made breadcrumbs with one by putting it in the oven at 150 degrees for an hour. Slowly baking it draws out the moisture more effectively and allows for better breadcrumbs. The other one I made a few slices of these little babies. Ricotta spread on the bottom, slices of avo and smoked salmon. I felt that it was missing something, maybe some sort of sauce but it was satisfying and filled me til about 3pm.

What's your perfect hangover cure?

Beef pastries

2011-11-01T22:16:00.002+11:00

The filling in the middle looks extremely sparse however, it was sufficient. These were made with bought puff pastry and they are amazingly little critters. As proud as I was with my previous post, I actually wasn't satisfied with them. I will probably try and make the same pastry again but fill it with this filling and make it thinner.

My oregano plant was going out of control and I really needed to use it. It's use here was perfect because the beef really needed to grasp the flavours of oregano so I put heaps. Other ingredients added was chilli, salt and pepper and parmesan. To taste it, I put a teaspoon in the microwave for 15 seconds. You need to taste it before you fill it because it might need more herbs, chilli or seasoning and luckily I did because it definitely needed more chilli.

The oven was preheated to 180 degrees and cooked for about 17 minutes. It was just so moist and tender and you could taste every ingredient. 17 minutes is enough to completely cook the filling inside which was put in raw. In addition, many were made ahead of time and put in the freezer. I should've gotten a snap of the raw beef mince mixture because it was just so colourful. Definitely one of the best things I've made and I don't say that a lot - top 5 things I've ever made and I don't even know what the other 5 are.

Beef pastries

500g mince

2-3 large bunches oregano, chopped

5 red chilli or to taste, but it needs a little bit of bite to it

salt and pepper to taste

puff pastry

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Divide puff pastry sheets by 9 and fill each one with about a tablespoon of the mince mixture.

3. Fold the edges down and freeze, layering them between sheets of baking paper.

4. Take them straight out of the freezer and brush with egg.

5. Pop into a preheated oven at 180c for 17 minutes or until golden.

6. Nom Nom Nom...

Finnish Meat Pastry

2011-10-25T22:37:00.002+11:00

I was so excited to have completed all three assessments today that I had to make celebratory pastries. I've never made pastries before so I was super excited when undertaking this task. I was so excited that I jumped into the car and drove all the way to a friends place to deliver these goods to her. I even shared the final result with my neighbour, where the most I've actually said to them is hi and that's only on occasions.

Note to self: sitting in front of the oven and watching it bake for 30 minutes does not hasten the cooking process.

So I was at Basement Books and I came across this cookbook which illustrates a wide variety of different types of Finnish food (from Finland). It got me excited because a lot of the things in there were simple and ingredients were readily available around my area. Furthermore, it allowed to me delve into different avenues of cooking in that I am able to manipulate the produce in different ways to produce this type of cuisine, which ultimately is the definition of Finnish food.

This pastry actually looks like any other pastry for example an empinada (not sure if that's how you spell it). However, the pastry is actually made out of 2 1/4 cups of plain flour, 250g unsalted butter and 250g of curd cheese (I used ricotta since curd cheese wasn't in the supermarket aisles). I think that's what defines it as Finnish. Think. I also think that when you say it in Suomi (Finnish language), Lihapiirakka that it automatically makes it a food of that nation.

The filling consisted of mince beef, a few spices, oregano, rice and hard boiled eggs. Of course with everything that is made for the first time, there were bound to be mistakes. It did taste delicious but the pastry could have been rolled out a little thinner and the filling could have had a little more salt, spices and herbs. So basically it was a little bland... but not to worry. I shall endeavour the same quest once more to bring you perfection.

Pandan Creme Brulee

2011-10-15T00:44:00.001+11:00

"Challenge Accepted!" was what I said when this was posted up online. Pandan creme brulee is a dessert that is served at Thai Namic, not that I had it but I immediately thought there were some interesting flavours in there to explore.

I had ingredients readily available (pandan leaves were frozen from the last pandan thing I made) and the ingredients required for creme brulee are just eggs, milk and sugar. I decided to split the milk into 50:50 milk and thickened cream to make the consistency of the custard a little thicker but I think I added a little too much cream because it resulted in it being a little too rich.

It was perfect timing because I was quite ill yesterday so I took my morning shift off work because I was feeling like death. The doctor prescribed me Clarytyne and I said look I'm dying and you're giving me Clarytyne?! Anyway, there were both pros and cons to the end result.

The positives were the different textures present. I only thought of adding peanuts as a novelty though the crunchy texture of the nuts contrasted well with the smooth and creamy texture of the custard mixture. In addition, the strawberries cut the thick and rich consistency and made it fresher so it wasn't just one flavour you were tasting. Furthermore, the crackling blow torched sugar top which is what defines a creme brulee was exactly what it was - crackling. The pandan flavour blended well with everything as well. Oh yeah, and the edible flowers sprouted from my sage garden emphasised the delicacy of this dessert (you actually couldn't really taste them..)

The negatives: I added too much thickened cream so it was a bit too rich. I also didn't measure my sugar and just poured a whole lot in because it was the last of my sugar anyway and it ended up being a little too sweet. I think that's it.

So what do you think? My interpretation and recreation of Thai Namic's Pandan Creme Brulee.

Pandan Creme Brulee

4 eggs + 2 egg yolks, whisked

150g sugar

600ml full cream milk

100ml fresh pandan extract

1. Heat milk with the pandan extract until scalding, not boiling because you don't want to burn or curdle it

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together

3. Slowly pour the heated milk mixture into the eggs bit by bit, constantly whisking so that the eggs do not cook

4. Put this mixture back onto the heat on a double boiler to get rid of all the bubbles and also to further thicken this mixture

5. Pour into ramekins and put into a bain marie at 150 degrees celcius for about 40 minutes. A bain marie is when you half fill an oven proof dish with boiling water, which means your ramekins will be sitting in water. This will help evenly distribute the heat throughout the creme brulees. Also, cover your ramekins with foil because you don't want the top to burn.

6. Refridgerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

7. Evenly coat the top of each ramekin with caster sugar then use a blow torch to crystalise the sugar.

8. Serve immediately with nuts and fresh fruit.

Bread and Butter Pudding

2011-09-29T13:55:00.002+10:00

This recipe was aired on TV and it looked so easy that I just had to do it. Conveniently, I had all the relevant ingredients ready for use. The day old load of crusty bread was bought yesterday but I thought it was too tough to use for a bruschetta so it was perfect for this.

Bread and butter pudding is a traditional english dessert that quite simple and cheap to make. It consists of layered slices of bread with a few raisins (which I didn't have) soaked in brandy poured over with a creme anglaise. The creme anglaise that I made had 2 eggs, 50g sugar and 300ml of milk to 300ml of cream. The milk mixture was heated then slowly poured into the eggs continuously whisking to form a custard. The custard was then poured over the layers of bread. It is necessary to let this to stand for about 5-10 minutes to allow the breads to soak up the liquid. Put in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

I was quite surprised when I checked the freezer to find a tub of icecream! Though I wasn't surprised to see that no one had eaten the icecream even though I'm guessing the tub has been there for a few months. I don't know who buys it because I never eat ice cream and neither does any one in my family. T'is a mystery to be solved.

It's a great winter dish even though it's now spring. It's tasty and simple to make. The soft pudding texture compliments really well with the crunchy top. The ice cream does the trick with the contrast in hot and cold and is perfect. Caster sugar can be sprinkled on top and then blowtorched though I didn't do it because I sprinkled mine with nutmeg which gave the illusion of it being caramelised. It would be a lot nicer and interesting if sugar was blowtorched and a lot sweeter as well.

Bread and butter pudding

Day old loaf of crusty bread

50g sultanas soaked in brandy

4 eggs

50g sugar

300ml milk/300ml cream

1. Slice bread and layer in an oven proof dish

2. Make creme anglaise by heating up milk mixture. Do not bring to boil or else you will burn and curdle the milk. Whisk eggs and sugar together then slowly add the heated milk whilst continuously whisking. Add about a tablespoon at a time then once you've reached about half of your liquid pour the rest in.

3. Pour creme anglaise over the bread, sprinkle sultanas over and in between the breads.

4. Put in a preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes at 180 degrees.

5. Sprinkle caster sugar over the top and blowtorch.

6. Serve with ice cream and dust with icing sugar.

Olive Tapenade

2011-08-29T22:20:00.001+10:00

It's a sandwich. Firstly, I was inspired to make this from my Melbourne trip. I love Melbourne because of all the laneways filled with cafes and all that. This was one of the type of panani's that I had in one of those lane ways. Secondly, I made this at work. I think eating something different from pasta or pizza was a really good idea cause I eat pasta and/or pizza quite often. My boss also had bought these burger buns so I immediately decided that the burger was what I was having for lunch.

All the ingredients were available at work though I had to make up the olive tapenade. The Melbourne one had an eggplant tapenade but I only remembered til after I had the olive one made up. Making olive tapenade is quite easy. It's a similar process to making pesto. Mash up olives, anchovies and capers then add the oil till combined. It was quite salty cause of those three salty ingredients so I added green olives as well and it worked.

The bottom had pesto, then spinach, tomato, prosciutto then good quality hot slices of salami. The top was then spread with the olive tapenade. The combination of flavours complimented each other really well. I believe that pesto is the most amazing thing that I have learnt to make. It's so versatile and is so delicious.

I got hungry after about an hour so I made another burger inspired from grill'd. I basically made a 'field of dreams' which was basically the same thing with a massive mushroom patty. Yummy.

Pesto Bruschetta

2011-08-28T00:11:00.001+10:00

This is another dishthat I tried to replicate from Meat and Wine Co. Okay, so I spent about $35today on groceries because I had big plans in the kitchen. I sort of ran out oftime so I ended up making only one thing which did fill me up but I’m still cravingsome more.

I basically made up abatch up pesto (now my favourite thing to make) and some bruschetta. The pestoI made was especially good today because the consistency and texture wasperfect. Definitely better than premade stuff and better than restaurantquality. I used my food processor which works wonders. I keep on insisting atwork that my boss get a food processor to make the pesto instead of a puree-erbecause the hand held puree-er thing doesn’t really work and doesn’t giveconsistent results.

Anyway, there’s thisnew delicatessen in my local area and I think it’s a really really good shop.It’s like a chacuterie where you can buy all sorts of different types of meat(salami’s etc) and cheeses and they also make bread. I decided to buy some sourdoughtoday for the purpose of today.

Seriously, this dishis so amazing I made about 9 for lunch today. Pesto was spread, then a layer ofbruchetta mix and peeled layers of super soft mozzarella. Finished off withbalsamic vinegar its just amazing.

The How To:

Sourdough

Pear shaped mozzarella or peceroni

Pesto

1 bunch basil, chopped

80g pine nuts

100g parmesan, grated(you can buy the one that’s already grated)

2 cloves garlic,chopped

½ cup extra virginolive oil

Bruschetta mix

3 roma tomatoes,deseeded and diced

½ red onion, finelydiced (aka brunoise)

1 clove garlic, finelychopped

A few basil leaves,finely sliced

11. Throw basil, pinenuts,parmesan and garlic in a food processor until finely blended together. Itshould be granulated and not processed too much that it looks like a paste. Addthe oil and blend until combined. The final texture shouldn’t be too wet andrunny and it should be firm but not too firm.

2. Mix the bruschettaingredients together.

3. Toast the bread (I findusing a sandwich press produces better results, but it doesn’t really matter)

4. Spread the basil, topwith bruschetta mix and peel soft mozzarella over the top.

5. Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil

6. Serve immediately.

Mushroom and Ricotta Bites

2011-08-02T18:11:00.004+10:00

I've recently decided to treat myself because I have been too harsh on myself on saving money for my exchange to France. I've realised that I've done exceptionally well so I planned a few nights out to eat at a few nice restaurants. One of the side plates at Meat & Wine Co. was this thing that I tried to replicate. They were oven roasted mushrooms topped with feta and a few herbs such as thyme and parsley.

Although these beautiful things were small and tiny, they possessed an array of different textures and flavours that made you orgasm and jizz in your pants. I believed the mushrooms had a layer of breadcrumbs in between the feta and the mushroom which gave a pleasant light crunch. I don't mean to get all Matt Preston on you but one simple bite is like listening to an orchestra. The music flows coherently and work so well together just as the food does.

It was probably the best thing I had at Meat & Wine Co. It wasn't my kangaroo fillet with the berry jus nor the super tender lamb shanks on the other side of the table, it was this. I felt the quality of their feta was exquisite and super soft and smooth. It actually resembled ricotta so I decided to use that instead. I roasted the mushrooms with sprinkled fresh breadcrumbs for 15 minutes at 200 degrees. It was then topped with a small dollop of ricotta and some thyme leaves.

I did miss out the most important ingredient though. Salt. I realised that as I took the last bite. The other problem I came across was that the breadcrumbs seemed to be too fine. I blended it for a tad too long though you could still taste it. Other than that, perfect.

Pandan Cake

2011-07-27T00:01:00.000+10:00

It was a beautiful day and I had an early start and got heaps of things done. Getting heaps of things done means more time for cooking. I made a really big breakfast with sausages, scrambled eggs with parmesan, roasted tomatoes with oregano, sauteed mushroom and a perfect thick cut bakers delight soy and linseed toast. I also made sweet potato chips with paprika mayo and purple basil pesto but the focus of this post is pandan cake. The idea sprang up when my mum asked me if I wanted to keep the green colouring seeing as I only used it once and I don't even remember what for.

I didn't use the green colouring in this cake but it sparked up the notion of pandan leaves. The recipe is derived from my banana bread and because I haven't made banana bread in yonks, I decided to tweak it a little to fit the consistencies of pandan.

Pandan is a blade like leaf that grows to about 1 metre in length. It's green and is used in a lot of asian desserts. I'd say it's the asian equivalent to the vanilla bean. It has intense flavours and nice aromas. It's also really cheap at Cabramatta groceries at only $2 for a large bunch. To store for a longer period of time, wash then freeze.

There are a few secrets to making cake like this. To allow the cake to rise and stay risen, instead of just rise in the oven and then fall down flat, whisked egg must be slowly incorporated bit by bit into the beaten butter and sugar mixture. Secondly, when self raising flour is added it should be sifted into the mixture, then folded gently with a metal spoon. Using a metal spoon minimises the air being pushed out resulting in a light and fluffy cake. Finally, working the mixture too much forms cracks on the surface and you don't want that. You want a nice smooth evenly cooked surface.

I'm actually quite surprised at how perfect I made this. It was a first trial as well and I did really really well. Give yourself a pat on the back Jason. Now I'm going to share this original recipe with you Oven Guide readers.

Pandan cake

3 pandan leaves
125g butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, whisked
1 1/2 cup self raising flour

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Roughly cut the pandan leaves into 2 cm strips and put into a blender with about a 1/3 cup of water. Blend for about a minute until pandan is finely blended through. Push the mixture through a sieve or conical strainer and discard sediment. You should get about 1 cup from this.

3. Using an electric beater, beat the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until it becomes like a cream. Add the whisked eggs a tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated before adding the next bit. This allows the cake mixture to stay solid and risen.

4. Add the fresh pandan juice and blend until fully combined. Sift the self raising flour into the mixture and fold with a metal spoon.

5. Gently pour mixture into a cake pan mould or whatever you want to use and bake for 30 minutes in the oven. Allow to rest in cake tin for 10 minutes before allowing it to cool completely on a cooling rack.

6. Serve warm and fresh and share it with everyone. The crust should be crispy and the inside light and fluffy.

Purple Basil

2011-07-26T15:20:00.001+10:00

You know that life's great when all your troubles come down to choosing whether you want beautiful super fresh green basil or interesting purple basil. It took me ages to come to a decision and I probably looked like I was lost staring at the herbs for five minutes. I ended up going with the purple basil because I've never come across it before though it was a really though decision to toss the super fresh green green basil.

Purple basil is pretty much exactly the same as green basil except for the colour. It is just cultivated into being purple but it tastes exactly the same. Any dish that contains green basil can easily be substituted for purple basil. Which is why I made a few things (that I have previously made before) with purple basil.

First was the caprese salad, though I think a caprese is more suited to green basil. It just seems more natural. A problem that might influenced this was probably the lack of buffalo mozzarella. They didn't have any at the supermarket so I ended up getting dodgy bocconcini.

Next is basil pesto. Though it just looks like green pesto that's been sitting in the fridge for a while, it actually is a fresh batch. Pretty much the same taste as well. Not really an exciting post is it because nothing really exciting happened.

The Secret to Potato Chips

2011-07-23T11:14:00.001+10:00

You'veprobably seen some similar posts on potato or sweet potato chips but I believethat I have finally perfected the perfect chip. When I have made thempreviously they were okay and some were really good but they weren't perfect.They should be soft and fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Thesetextures are exactly what make the chip taste so good.

Softand fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside is exactly what I achieved.And these were damn right healthy. They were baked in the oven, not fried sothere was no excess oil. And of course they were 100% potato. You wouldn'tbelieve what they do to commercial chips these days. Throw a whole lot ofpreservatives and numbers and stuff like that to make them fit for sale.There's also one more thing that they coat commercial chips in. I warn allvegetarians and vegans to not read this bit and don't click read more if you don't want to know.

AndI'm sorry if I ruin your lives but commercial chips are coated in beef tallow.Translation: they are coated in beef fat to prevent the chips from stickingtogether. Just look on the ingredients list. Not all do that but I say a goodhandful do. Which is why it s best to just make your own!

Nowon to the secret on how to perfect these beauties. Firstly, you need to peelthe potatoes and chop them into chips. Wash off all the excess starch and putinto a pot of cold water on the stove. Bring to the boil. Allowing the potatoesto cook from cold water instead or plunging them into boiling water is that itallows it to retain it's shape and nutrients. Once a knife easily pierces thepotato (this will take about 10-15 minutes) refresh in ice cold water then coatin olive oil. Spread evenly on a tray and pop not the freezer for about an houror two. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and bake for 20 minutes turning half way oruntil golden brown. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with a burger and adipping sauce of your choice.

Itlooks really long but it actually isn't and is definitely worth making fromscratch. It's healthy and doesn't have any bad stuff in it to preserve and notmake it stick. For a quicker result, deep fry until golden.

Roasted chicken cooked in milk

2011-07-12T15:48:00.001+10:00

I thought that being on holidays from uni would give me enough freedom to cook and trial lots of new dishes. In fact, quite the opposite has happened. I've just completed a 42 hour week, chopped off the tip of my thumb (literally) and was completely exhausted but it still hasn't stopped me from doing this dish.

I got this idea from the celebrity chef show at the Good Food & Wine Show. The only thing that I tweaked was the herbs because my sage garden is pretty much non-existent and they didn't have any at woolies. So I went over to a friends place and used her thyme because her thyme garden has pretty much turned into a bush. It was also convenient to use her oven because she has a real oven.

I found that using milk to cook was a very interesting way to cook though full cream milk must be used. Being on a diet is not an excuse to use skim milk because it isn't as effective as using full cream milk. The reason is that full cream milk has all the goodness of natural fat etc that is then integrated into the product during the cooking process. Skim milk is basically made out of milk solids and water so it doesn't give any flavourings.

There was also one problem that I found with the chicken. I decided to buy a free range chicken from the chicken store from outside of woolies because they're usually cheaper and fresher. I noticed after I got into the car that half of the chicken was frozen! Dodgy asians. They freeze the chicken so it becomes heavier hence a higher price. I might have been looking into it a bit too much but that's my theory. Although it was cheaper, I might be more willing to pay a bit more for an unfrozen whole chicken.

First thing I did was wash, pat dry and seasoned the chicken generously with salt and pepper by rubbing it into the skin. By seasoning with heaps of salt, the skin becomes crispy by the end of the cooking process. I brown the chicken on all sides, took it out and then added 5 cloves of garlic, zest of 2 lemon and a bunch of thyme. Fried for about a minute or two or three then added the chicken. Add about 400ml of milk and let come to a boil. Cover with a lid then pop into a preheated oven for 90 minutes. Kick back and put on a movie.

The final result is absolutely sensational. I picked up the chicken by its legs and the meat just fell away from the bone. It was perfectly cooked, so tender and moist and full of flavour. Each time I handled the chicken the meat just fell away from the bone without effort. It was just so perfect and juicy. It's easy to make and just takes a little love and time. Nom nom nom.

Photos courtesy of Hysteric Chizue

Wagyu Biltong

2011-07-03T19:33:00.000+10:00

The Good Food & Wine Show is filled with a whole heap of interesting ideas, foods, wines, workshops and shows. But the best thing about it is the introduction of new products and concepts.

$15 for 200g

Biltong is similar to beef jerky but better. They're both spiced and dried meats but biltong tends to be a lot thicker and it is air dried. It is not cooked then smoked or whatever unlike other types of dried meats. The Wagyu one in particular is a lot more expensive than the traditional one because of the marbling and also the tenderness of the meat.

It has the same sort of texture as beef jerky in that you must chew but the wagyu is also soft in the centre so it both melts in your mouth. It's odd but it was really delicious. They're only shop is located in Lane Cove and their shop is called Springbok Delights. They specialise in South African delicacies such as biltong. I would definitely drive all the way up there to buy a kilo of it and it's so addictive.

Eggplant fritters with a tomato coulis

2011-06-26T18:33:00.000+10:00

Learning new techniques is always fun. I learnt a new way to batter something but I'm not exactly sure what this type of batter is called. What I did was separate the eggs and mixed the egg yolk with the flour then the milk and then I whipped the egg whites until they were stiff (looks like whipped cream) then folded that mixture into the flour and milk mixture. The result was a sort of foamy fluffy batter. It produces a light batter with a crispy crunch when fried. However, it burns quickly so it must be fried at a low temperature.

Can you believe that I could only find one eggplant?! I walked to every grocery store and none had eggplants. There was one but they were old and not very fresh. I ended up at the supermarket and there was one eggplant left. I didn't think this was enough to feed two so I bought more ingredients to make some pesto. I made the pesto a different way by using a mortar and pestle. There's just something about pounding the basil leaves which draw the natural colour and moisture and flavour more effectively than a blender.

Anyway, for the tomato coulis I made a tomato concasse (peeled, deseeded and diced tomato) and fried it off with garlic, shallots, ginger and a little bit of chilli. Simmer it on a low heat for 20 minutes and puree. Unexpectedly the perfect condiment for eggplant fritters. It's amazing how such small ingredients such as ginger is able to change and compliment another ingredient such as the tomato.

Eggplant fritters
Serves 6

3 firm eggplants
salt and pepper
6 tomatoes
6 garlic cloves
2 eschalots
50g fresh ginger
olive oil
3 eggs separated
200g plain flour
200ml milk

For the tomato coulis cut a cross in the base of the tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for 30 seconds. Refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process then peel, deseed and dice. Peel garlic, shallots and ginger, chop them all together. Saute in the olive oil then add the tomatoes, let them stew down for 20 minutes over low heat. Season, then puree.

For the fritters whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Combine the yolks with the flour, add the milk then gently fold in the egg whites. Heat the vegetable oil over a high heat then bring it down to low. Dip the eggplant slices in the fritter batter then brown on each side and place fritters on paper towels for excess oil to be drained off. Serve with tomato coulis

Pesto

2011-06-20T22:52:00.003+10:00

Finally, it's the end of semester and I am free to experiment and cook lots of things although I made this before my exam today. I was supposed to make a chicken cottage pie as a celebration meal but I got caught up watching a movie. I insisted on watching X-Men but was dragged into watching Bridesmaids. I may not be the best movie critic as I don't necessarily analyse movies but just take them as they are but this movie was horrible.

Anyway, I woke up extra early to make a blue cheese and parmesan omelette for breakfast to then go out to buy some basil to make pesto as I already had the rest of the ingredients waiting for me in my fridge. The previous day I went to the supermarket to buy some basil but they didn't have any basil, only thai basil. There is a slight difference between normal basil and thai basil. Thai basil is mainly used in Asian foods and has more of a peppery and anise sort of flavour to it whereas normal basil is a little sweeter and more fragrant. The leaves are also different in that normal basil is bigger and grow on green stems. So I bought thai basil and there didn't seem it be a difference in taste in the final product.

Fresh pesto is super easy to make. It consist of 5 ingredients and a food processor. You need 125g of parmesan cheese, 100g pine nuts, 2 garlic cloves and a nice handful of basil. Process until it resembles breadcrumbs. You don't want it to be too fine like a puree because you want a little texture. With the motor pulsing, add about 1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil to bring it all together. Store in an airtight container with a layer of oil on top to stop the oxygen from browning the mixture.

To serve you can add chicken and/or just stir about two tablespoons of freshly made pesto with the pasta. Nothing beats fresh pesto.

Real Chicken Nuggets encrusted with Parmesan

2011-06-13T14:49:00.001+10:00

You're probably sick of how I keep on going on about all things fresh, no additives or preservatives, colours etc but it is something that I am truly passionate about. I made these to sort of prove a point and also cause I had left over chicken and they're yummy. It's made with 100% chicken and coated in fresh breadcrumbs (toasted bread then blended) and freshly grated parmesan off a stick.

I used chicken tenderloins only because tenderloins come attached with breasts and if you were with me yesterday, you would know I ended with with a lot of breasts. Tenderloins are tender because it has the word tender in its name. It may also be because they aren't used very much because its tucked right under the breast. I also blended the tenderloins with salt, pepper and dried thyme so it had a more chicken nuggetty texture rather than just coating a piece of chicken like you would do with a schnitzel.

The grains you see are from the bread that I used

A lime and caper mayo was also made to be served with the dish. Although the dish may lack colour, it could have been easily served with a side salad or even tossed into a salad or if you don't really fancy salads then just eaten like that I guess. So the next time you buy a packet of frozen chicken nuggets from the supermarket, have a look at the ingredients list...
because I've seen something like 48% chicken and a whole lots of other stuff. If it's 48% chicken, what's the other 52% of the nugget made out of? Jamie Oliver pointed out that they use the dirty and disgusting bits of the chicken as well to make nuggets such as the carcass and chicken skin. Does that really compare to 100% chicken and all fresh ingredients?

When you can make fresh nuggets, do it and if you want to make them healthy nuggets you should bake them, not fry. But don't get me wrong, I would still love the occasional nuggets from McDonalds even though I know (or don't know) what they put in it. Because who can deny that chicken nuggets are delicious?

Saltimbocca

2011-06-12T18:45:00.002+10:00

So I asked for two chicken breasts from the Asian butchery and it came out as 1.1kg. I couldn't comprehend how on earth two simple chicken breasts could weigh so much. I then looked at the size of these breasts and they were massive! They were on roids! Then it wasn't until I got home and started preparing them I realised that two breasts were connected to each other. Usually, I think they're sold as individual breasts but no, Asian butchers are too lazy to separate them. So I ended up with four breasts. They were beautiful but what was I going to with four when I only wanted one?

That was awkward. Anyway, this is an italian dish and is traditionally made with veal instead of chicken but I didn't know that until two seconds ago. For the filling I used a duxelle (finely diced onion and mushroom with parsley but I didn't have parsley) mixed with fresh ricotta. The filling complimented the chicken really well by adding a smooth and creamy texture. It was also wrapped in prosciutto which means that not much salt needs to be added.

I firstly wrapped it up in the prosciutto and then wrapped it in gladwrap tying the ends. This was then poached for 20 minutes. Poaching requires the water to be just barely simmering, no visible bubbles (a few tiny ones hurt). I've made this dish before but I've also undercooked the inside, burnt the outside or made the chicken too tough by cooking it too long or both. By poaching it for 20 minutes, you allow the chicken to be about 80% cooked and completely moist for a perfectly cooked chicken. It was then fried until the outside was crispy then cooked in the oven for a further 5 minutes to finish the job.

As I was arranging it on the plate, I realised something was missing. My balsamic vinegar aged for 8 years was waiting to be opened and used. I think it did the job. The one they use at work is aged for 12 years and costs $40 a bottle. Oh, and did you know that balsamic vinegar isn't balsamic vinegar unless it's from Modena?

Chicken Caesar Salad

2011-06-08T13:30:00.001+10:00

I had about half an hour to make this before I had to leave and make it for the train which is why I packed it in a takeaway container. Which meant making the dressing, prepping the salad leaves, cooking the chicken and pancetta, baking croutons and shaving parmesan. I actually made a bet with a friend and if I lost I had to make something for her. And I lost. She doesn't eat bacon so the pancetta was excluded in her container.

I also had to run to the supermarket to buy some anchovies for the caesar dressing. I didn't realise how expensive anchovies were so I tried to buy the cheapest ones which ended up being cheaper per kilo by about $20. I've also found it difficult to make the colour of my caesar dressing a nice white colour. It's always turned out yellow because of the egg yolk and the dijon mustard and I'm still not sure how to get the colour of the dressing to match its original description. And no! I will not use bottled mayonnaise to make my dressing as it defeats the whole purpose of making your own dressing. There is a way, it's just that I haven't found it yet.

Regardless of presentation, everything was delicious

I think using chicken breast is a lot nicer than chicken thighs. They contain less fat, are perfect when not overcooked, contain more flavour and meat and is actually quite moist when cooked correctly and using the right method of cookery. I used my griddle pan and waited a while for the pan to be piping hot and smoking and then laid the breast on. The intense heat quickly seals the chicken to lock in the moisture. Turn once when about 1cm of the edges of breast turn white.

The pancetta I used was also a little too thick. I usually get it paper thin but they gave it to me thicker than bacon. All good though because the end result was really amazing. Freshly made everything equals orgasm in your mouth. The breast was just so soft and tender just the way I like it. Specimen A also thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fettuccine in a creamy prawn sauce

2011-06-07T12:12:00.000+10:00

It's apparent that I have been cooking a lot of italian food. This may or may not be from the influence of my workplace. Anyway, I think recipe is exactly the same as the squid ink pasta I made the other day except I swapped sea conch shells for fettuccine. This type of pasta particularly suits creamy bases so different variations of it can be experimented with.

Penne and fuseli and all other different shapes does really well with more of a chunky sort of base where perhaps chicken or bacon is cut into bite size pieces and the sauce is a little thicker. The size of the pasta allows the sauce to cling on to it a little better than longer, thinner types of pasta such as spaghetti. Conversely, spaghetti would suit more thinner and oilier types of sauce such as creamy bases and of course the traditional bolognese.

I made this at work. It's not on the regular menu but because they had all the relevant ingredients I decided to try something different.

Serves 2
250g Fettucine
1 cup cream
zest of one lemon
chopped basil and parsley
handful of cherry tomatoes
6 fresh prawns, half of them cut into cubes, the other half with tails intact for presentation
garlic

1. Cook pasta until al dente
2. Fry off garlic and add prawns when garlic starts to brown slightly
3. When prawns are almost cooked (this will only take about 2 minutes), add the cherry tomatoes, herbs and zest and stir for another minute.
4. Add the cream and simmer for a further minute or two, salt according to taste.
5. Add cooked pasta to the mixture and combine. Adjust seasoning.
6. Serve and make it look pretty =D

Healthy Lasagna

2011-06-05T15:51:00.000+10:00

8 vegetables, 5 herbs, 2 cheeses, 1 meat, freshly made pasta sheets and 3 hours of TLC. Doesn't that just scream healthy? I was inspired by Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to make this. He came up with healthy nachos which had 7 vegetables for children in schools. It's what they love eating and it was a brilliant idea to get these kids to eat their vegetables.

I think I took it a step further. I went to the supermarket and through my fridge and decided to use as many vegetables as I could. There was a very long list of ingredients that I ended up with. I decided to use pork mince as well because my mum doesn't eat beef. The meat sauce had onions, zucchini, capsicum, fennel, eggplant, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, pork mince, leggos crushed tomatoes and a splash of red wine with herbs including parsley, basil, sage, rosemary and bay leaves. The vegetables were cut into small cubes so that it blended in with the pork mince. It was pretty much a ratio of 1:1 of mince and vegetables. The crushed tomatoes were really rich which blended everything together. Eight vegetables - eight different vitamins that help the body.

Feeds approximately 8 -12 people

Now that was the meat sauce. For the béchamel sauce, I boiled the milk with peppercorns, half an onion, parsley stalks and the top bit of the fennel and made a batch which tasted really good. Using parmesan instead of mozzarella prevents the sauce from becoming stringy. Fresh pasta sheets were also made from scratch.

The thing I love about making this is that you know exactly what you've put in it. You sort of hear that a lot nowadays but what it actually means is that when you look at the back of a packet of frozen lasagna there is a list of additives, preservatives and all these numbers (basically a science lesson). For obvious reasons, I didn't use any of that which means no numbers or powdered or artificial stuff goes into my food. Hence, everything is good for you.

Cone Pizza

2011-06-05T01:31:00.000+10:00

As soon as I walked past this store in Parramatta I immediately needed to try this. I think it was a very a interesting idea in that they were able to recreate the traditional shape of pizza to that in a cone. It originated from Taiwan and this store also sells asian tea drinks. A weird combination indeed.

Basically, the cone is made out of pizza dough and the toppings are subsequently filled inside. As the menu was very confusing and bilingual, I just asked the cashier to make me a nice one. I ended up with a chicken coned pizza. It was topped with cheese and BBQ sauce. It was then put in the oven for about 5 minutes in a cone holder where it revolved around in a circle.

$4.80 a cone

At first bite, I liked it. It was just so fascinating that they could pull it off (idea wise). But then I took a second bite and it didn't really taste that great. The BBQ sauce made it taste like pizza hut and the toppings didn't seem that fresh either. In addition, the dough was as little thick and I just don't think it really worked. When I looked back, the only thing that looked appealing was the freshly picked basil leaves.

Although, the idea is very very interesting I do not believe that it will be a sustainable product. People will just buy it for the novelty of it.

Squid ink pasta with garlic prawns in a creamy herbed sauce

2011-05-29T19:57:00.000+10:00

I didn't realise that I had just bought $28 a kilo of pasta until I was walking up the stairs away from the shop. They sold it for $7 for 250 grams and the pasta was unique so I thought why not. It's not everyday you would eat black pasta.

I had to call on some people to help taste test this and help me finish it. One was lactose intolerant so I had to make up another sauce which will be featured when you click read more. Squid ink pasta gets its colour from the squid ink they use when making the dough. It is incorporated into the process and it comes out this colour. There are many different colours you can experiment with such as green pasta (made of spinach) or even purple pasta (made using beetroot).

I think it makes sense to use seafood with squid ink pasta as they use a sort of seafood essence to colour the pasta and also the fact that this particular shape was in conch shells. I was flipping through heaps of recipes to find one that I liked and most of them had a sort of cream base for the sauce. One particularly caught my eye where ingredients involved were prawns, parsley and basil, cherry tomatoes, garlic and cream. Simple yet all the flavours were there.

The only thing I did wrong was probably undercook the pasta a little. I read in a mag that you should undercook the pasta by about two minutes to that you can add it to the sauce to further cook and allow the sauce to fuse and incorporate with the pasta, rather than just dolloping the sauce over the top of the pasta. In addition, good pasta shouldn't be drowned in sauce. If it's good pasta, the star of the dish should be the pasta and the sauce should only be there to coat it and compliment it.

Now for the other pasta. I seem to make a lot of things that involve milk, cream, cheese or butter. Unfortunately this is becomes an inconvenience for my friend as she can't have any of these. As I was using all the squid ink pasta for the cream sauce I used fettuccine for her sauce. I basically blended a can of tomatoes (which I think was a little too diluted and watery), added a few herbs and added it to the sauteed garlic prawns and cherry tomatoes. The pasta was also undercooked a little to allow the sauce to further cook it in the cooking process.

Unfortunately, this didn't really work either. I think the problem was that the mag said to add about a cup of the water you cooked your pasta into your sauce to allow it to reduce and cook the pasta. Maybe I should save some of the water and use it. I think the next pasta I was to make is a gorgonzola gnocchi which I have perfected at the restaurant. But that will come another time.

Poached eggs on a canapé with a cheesy béchamel sauce

2011-05-26T15:28:00.000+10:00

When I read the description of this recipe, I didn’t think it was all that great until I got to the end of the page. The first steps included making a canapé which is pretty much bread, sautéing mushrooms and sitting a poached egg on top of everything. So far so good and as I read on, it instructed me to spoon over the sauce, sprinkle with cheese and butter and run for about a minute under a hot broiler.

It sounded heavenly and it tasted just as good. It was a bit messy eating this thing. I don't think the cheese was really necessary at the end because when it is placed on top of the sauce and under the broiler, the cheese sort of just slips off. It might have been a little too cheesy but still so rich and amazing. I think the béchamel sauce could've been easily substituted for a hollandaise. But the description just made it so tempting.

As I perfected poached eggs just the other day, I didn't have trouble making this. This recipe was derived from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child et al. and they are selling now at Basement Books for just $10. I think it's a great book even though it lacks pictures. It has a lot of great ideas you can work with and are quite practical for every day use.

Watching the movie did not inspire me to buy her book and follow in her footsteps. However, I've decided to go about reading cookbooks a new way. Usually I would flick through skim reading and if anything caught my eye I would bookmark it and it would go straight back to my bookshelf. I'd probably come back to it and make two or three recipes from the book, nothing more. With Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I'm going to take a different approach and read until something catches my eye, bookmark it and stop reading. I will make it then read on so I don't just skip through it. Who knows what I'm going to make next.

Assembling the stack

Step 1: place sauteed mushrooms on canape

Step 2: place poached egg on mushrooms

Step 3: spoon sauce over

Step 4: sprinkle with cheese

Perfect Poached Egg

2011-05-22T20:04:00.000+10:00

I was having discussions today about poached eggs and how to do them perfectly with my chef friend and I decided I was going to try it again at home today. I've done a few posts on poaching eggs and stuff like that but I don't think I've ever gotten it as perfect as this.

I have to make poached eggs at work for the chicken caesar salad but I never seem to get it right at work. I've done it at home a few times and it has turned out sound. The thing is at work they don't stock vinegar and to poach eggs you need a little bit of vinegar in the water for the proteins in the egg to coagulate and to allow the whites to stick together and not fall away to make a cloudy soup.

Well, that's pretty much the trick. Vinegar. There is also the need to swirl the water in one direction in a medium to fast speed. Cracking the egg into a bowl then gently lowering it in the direction of the swirling water allows a perfect shape to form. The water must also be at a temperature with very minimal bubbles. Have a bowl of iced water to dip your egg into to stop the cooking process.

I just had a sudden urge to poach this egg and get it right. The first one was horrible so I tried again and it worked. I threw the first one and ate the second one plain. It's a good idea to eat it with something else.

Rosemary-infused prawns sauteed in garlic butter

2011-05-21T15:06:00.002+10:00

Okay, I lied. I didn't use garlic butter. I did have intentions to but it ended up being a burnt butter which equally worked just as well just without the garlic-ness. And garlic butter looked better on paper. This idea was derived from a restaurant in Wynyard.

My rosemary plant is progressing really well in a pot and I thought that it was time to be used. I really did wish that at least a small patch of my backyard wasn't concreted so that I could plant some of my herbs for them to further develop. I snipped off little bits of my plant and used them for this purpose. I chopped up the fresh rosemary leaves and added them to the sweet potato and I also added more to the exterior of the prawns.

Fresh banana prawns were used (decapitated and deveined but with the tails left on). Of course fresh prawns are a lot fresher but they also taste better. The texture is slightly different to those of frozen ones those many will argue differently. Banana prawns in particular are quite delicate and have a sweet flavour. The texture is also a little flaky and not as solid as for example tiger prawns which are firmer. Though any type of prawns can be used for this purpose. Unless you want to be strategic about texture, taste and lots of other things, you can just choose any type of prawn.

I think this idea is brilliant as it allows the rosemary flavour to be infused from the inside out. Once the prawns were seared, an EXPLOSION of flavour disperses from the stems and into the prawns.

Prawns only need to be cooked for about a minute on each side or less. I also served this with roast sweet potato and pumpkin with cumin, paprika and turmeric for spice. It went really well with each other and the spiciness contrasted with the delicate rosemary prawns. The only thing missing was maybe a squeeze of lime. Serve as an entree or appetiser.

Salt and Pepper Squid

2011-05-16T15:24:00.000+10:00

This has always been a favourite of mine as the different textures of this dish help bring out the best of everything. It's the tenderness of the squid, the crispiness when it is fried and the freshness of the side salad. Served with a lime aioli its just perfect.

Rice flour was used to coat the squid because it gives it a light crust and it usually turns out crispier when it is fried compared to all purpose flour. It's also made from rice which means that people who are gluten intolerant are able to enjoy this. In addition, it helps the result become a lot fluffier. Rice flour may also be used with a tempura batter to enhance the crispiness and fluffiness of the batter. The squid was also scored to help it curl and just look prettier on the plate.

I always got confused with the terms calamari and squid. I thought there was a difference at first but there actually is no difference. Calamari is just the term used to categorise squid and cuttlefish. Which means that squid and cuttlefish belong to the same family of calamari.

I served this with a lime aioli which goes perfectly with calamari. Just make the basic mayo and add about a clove of garlic with about half a lime.

Corn and sweet potato [pan]cakes.

2011-05-15T16:42:00.001+10:00

This recipe came up in a uni magazine to supposedly assist with students living costs. Canned corn, potato and flour is pretty much all you need. I put the 'pan' in brackets because it's not really a pancake but it sort of uses the same ingredients as a pancake would. I used flour instead of self raising because I didn't want the mixture to rise, an egg and a bit of milk just like you would when making pancakes.

I seriously thought that the 8kg supply of potatoes that my mum bought because they were 'cheap' would still be available in the kitchen. I have no idea where it went as it has magically disappeared. So I used sweet potato instead which I think is pretty much gives the same result in terms of texture and consistency. The sweet potato of course changed the flavour of the end result but all turned out well.

I really need a new camera. I don't think my phone will be enough to suffice.

I think the only problem that I encountered were that some of the little cakes had too much in one dollop therefore I miscalculated the cooking time of the cake hence undercooking it a little. The undercooked ones were a little mushy but the ones that were cooked just right were crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside with the corns having burst in your mouth when crunched on.

I served it with mayonnaise as it is quite a savoury 'pancake'. If you've been with me since near the beginning, then you would know that I don't believe in store bought mayonnaise. It's so easy to make your own and takes less than 3 minutes to make. For those of you who haven't made mayo on your own, you would be surprised at the consistency of the mayo as it isn't as thick. That's because it's real mayonnaise!

Three Way Breakfast

2011-05-08T13:38:00.000+10:00

It's been ages since I've been able to make something decent to write about because I've just been bombarded with a load of assessments from uni and also working 25 hours on top of that. It was unfortunate today that my mum went out to eat without me on Mothers Day but it's alright, she'll just find a basket of scones or shortbread waiting for her when she gets back (and maybe a pile of dishes too).

I pretty much just grabbed what I had in the fridge to make this. I sauteed the mushrooms that my mum was going to use for her tom yum, along with the cherry tomatoes till they were nicely done. Using the same pan, I scrambled my eggs. Adding about a tablespoon of milk or cream to the mixture helps it develop a creamy result. Finally, some shoulder bacon to fry off and done. I used shoulder bacon from Aldi because unlike rasher bacon, it doesn't contain any fat along the side of it. It's also thicker and less saltier than normal bacon and because it's from Aldi it's a lot cheaper too.

There's nothing like a big breakfast. The only thing missing was probably some hash or a piece of toast but other than that, everything was beautiful.

Spicy Courgette & Caper Dip

2011-04-25T16:32:00.000+10:00

I think learning to make a variety of your own dips is handy when you have some people over and prove to be a neat little snack. It's dead easy to make and best of all there are no preservatives, artificial flavours, colours and all those numbers you may see in the packaged dips. The longest part of the process is probably taking 5 minutes to steam the zucchini's. The next bit would take you 30 seconds to put everything in a blender to create a smooth paste. Pour in a bowl and serve.

I steamed a zucchini and added about a teaspoon of capers, a good pinch of mums chilli powder, half a clove of garlic, half a lime, salt and about 2 table spoons of olive oil. Blend and done. It tastes really nice and fresh. I love the tang of lime and I love it when there's a huge hit so I tend to overload with it. I might've put a pinch too much of chilli powder as my mums chilli powder tends to be very hot. Other than that, everything was perfect and I pretty much finished it in one go.

I made the croutons by slicing up [day old] bread into batons, sprinkling dried thyme and rosemary over it then baking it in the oven for about 30 minutes in the oven at a low heat of 150 degrees. Baking it at a low heat for a longer period of time allows all the moisture to be drawn out of the bread so the result is extra crunchy. Easy as.

Freshly Made Everything Lasagna

2011-04-23T22:38:00.000+10:00

My dad had asked me to make lasagna for him so that he could give it to one of his friends to eat. Although he said that I could make it whenever I was free, he pretty much pestered me into doing it everyday and was very picky about it. He said no you can't use beef so you can make a vegetarian one. If you're going to make a vegetarian one you have to use spinach cause they have delicious spinach lasagna in Thailand. Oh, you can use meat now but it has to be pork. I wasn't really excited to make it anymore after all of that.

Consequently, I decided that I was going to cheat because I wasn't really bothered. I was going to buy lasagna sheets, bachemel sauce in a jar and use like a tomato sauce for pasta instead of canned tomatoes. I headed out to Woolworths with my green shopping bag only to find that it was closed cause of Good Friday! I thought to myself, great! Now I have to make everything from scratch.

I started with the tomato meat sauce frying off the pork mince and then adding canned tomatoes to then simmer so it reduces. Making pasta sheets weren't too hard as it requires the same process as making pasta. Using my pasta machine I rolled out sheets and cut them to the relevant sizes flouring each sheet to prevent from sticking and placing a damp cloth over it so it does not dry out.

Finally I made a bachemel sauce with equal quantities of butter and flour, a clove of garlic and then slowly adding milk until it becomes a runny consistency. Once it started to come together and sort of looked like a paste I changed utensils and used my whisk instead as this makes the sauce smooth and creamier. I continued to add milk then finally putting cheese into the roux to make it a bachemel sauce. When the cheese has been added, it tends to thicken and be stringy. This is not the consistency you want so continue whisking until the cheese has melted and add more milk if necessary.

Look at all those layers!

I had made enough to fit two oven proof dishes so once I had layered it starting with meat sauce, pasta sheet, bachemel sauce, pasta sheet and repeating then topping off with mozzarella cheese I felt really proud and accomplished. It was definitely worth it to make it from scratch and the taste and look of it reflects it. It was amazing! The creaminess of the bachemel sauce, the perfectly cooked pasta sheets, delicious meat sauce and the stringy cheese top was absolutely amazing.

Friends were coming over so I shared it with them receiving positive feedback all round. I'd say they and I were lucky to enjoy this freshly made everything lasagna. Unfortunately, those who were lactose intolerant or muslims could not eat this. My bad.

Falafel

2011-04-22T14:19:00.000+10:00

I've been to many different kebab stores and have never really been satisfied with the taste of falafels. I have a friend who is crazed over it but I've never seemed to understand why. I gave it a go at making it because it seemed easy enough. All I needed was chickpeas and a few spices and herbs and an onion.

I needed to use dried chickpeas not canned chickpeas as canned chickpeas won't hold its shape when rolled into balls. There's a local deli place in front of the station that just opened up that has lots of really cool stuff in there. They were bound to have chickpeas in there and I noticed a few barrels of stuff but I wasn't 100% sure what was what as I've never had to use chickpeas before. I stood in line waiting for this old european lady who was taking her time to ask which ones the chickpeas. She was clearly frustrated at the old lady as she had a few people lining up until she was finished choosing and paying for one thing at a time. I was in no particular rush so I just waited and gazed at the different variety of cheeses available.

Didn't really know how to present it nicely

I think the falafels I made were pretty much the same as the ones I've already come across, just hotter and fresher. I think I might need to try again and try to make it more appetising. It does give off a slight curry flavour (maybe because of the cumin, coriander seeds and cayenne pepper) but I need to make that stand out more. Perhaps, I should use more herbs to make it fresher and lighter. I don't know when I'll be making it again but I guess this is something I want to change.

Maybe it just needs a better sauce. I made a yoghurt dip to go with it but I think it might need like a tomato relish or maybe a tangy mayo. Falafels make me feel very uncertain and doesn't excite me that much.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread

2011-04-21T11:27:00.000+10:00

There are some recipes that I come across and immediately decide that I have to make it. This one is no exception. I forgot how I came across this recipe because I don't usually bake and I'm not usually the one to go searching for cookies to make. I had most of the ingredients already in my pantry except for the two important ones - cranberry and white chocolate - but my hands were just itching to make these.

Don't you just love it when your mum butts in and tries to control everything when in fact she has no idea what she is talking about? My mum is great, she makes the best asian food in the world but she usually has no clue on what I do in the kitchen when I'm in charge.

I had rolled out the dough then decided to roll them into balls then squish them with a fork however, that only gave me about 10 in the end. My mum had just came back from Thailand and had bought love heart cookie cutters. She heavily insisted that I use them though I was a little hesitant when she suggested it. She just kept on rubbing it in my face and said they look so pretty! Ultimately, she won and I got about 30 of them made which was an advantage for me.

Shortbread is indeed short. It's not like any other cookie texture or mixture because the result crumbles in your mouth. This is because of the amount of butter used at the beginning. The fat in the butter slows down the long protein strands in the flour hence a short of crumbly texture. They're highly addictive and not too healthy for you but definitely very yummy.

The left overs

The lovely people at work tend to bring cupcakes and brownies to share with everyone and I think it's time that a male figure show off masculinity in the form of love heart shaped shortbread.

Mad Pizza

2011-04-13T21:57:00.000+10:00

Funky, modern and healthy - I'd never thought I'd find a place as suave as this place. This recently opened restaurant on Crown St in Darlinghurst serves gourmet pizzas and pastas that are fresh and healthy. They also have a diverse desserts menu and a cool little bar where you are able to sit at. The pizza bases are super thin which is one of the reasons why the pizzas are claimed to be healthy but also the fact that they use top quality ingredients that you may not usually find on a pizza.

When we take our seat, we notice that the table is covered in paper. The crayons on the table then jump out at us and we all immediately start drawing pictures and being kids again. This fun little idea is great to keep you busy while waiting if things get awkward.

Do you know the saying 'less is more'? Well, I think Mad Pizza has proven this saying because their pizzas don't actually have a lot on them though what is actually on them are full of flavour and compliment each other to bring out the goodness of each ingredient. Sure there are some places that love to pack on their ingredients and they are just as nice. However, you've just got to try a Mad Pizza pizza before you can tell the difference.

Hardcore food porn

I ordered the 'tibia' pizza which consists of lamb shanks, eggplant, rocket and a yoghurt dressing with cumin seeds sprinkled on top. Seriously, I have to say that this has been the best pizza I have ever eaten. The lamb shanks are super tender and there's no need for chewing, the cumin seeds are strong enough for you to taste and combined with well cooked eggplant and creamy yoghurt dressing everything just melts in your mouth. The rocket also adds a little freshness to it and there's a perfect amount on it.

13" pizzas range between $18-$20 but if you come at lunch everything on the menu (except desserts) is $10 or less. If you want gourmet, healthy, super awesomely delicious pizzas then go to Mad Pizza. It's definitely worth the hike up Oxford St. Who says pizza can't be healthy? It's the same as healthy burgers or healthy burritos. They do exist.

Calamari Salad

2011-04-10T13:50:00.000+10:00

I believe that keeping a balanced diet is very important. A balanced diet in my perspective is not eating all the foods on the food pyramid and not just eating healthy. It's all about balancing the junk you eat with what you eat at home. See, I don't think I could ever give up junk food because its just so easy, convenient and tastes so good like unhealthy. Late night runs to Maccas or kebabs wouldn't be fun if you weren't allowed to eat anything.

I've noticed that a lot of the things that I have been making (there are a few exceptions) have been relatively healthy. Fresh ingredients are used, minimal oil, most things are made from scratch and it tastes delicious. I try to avoid deep frying or shallow frying unless the product involves breadcrumbs or a batter or some sort. It's also important to eat healthy at work though I think this is really easy for me seeing as though I work at a healthy burger joint. I don't even notice it but there are some days where I just have healthy meals the whole day and it's awesome. I haven't exercised in months but at least I feel great and I don't have to feel guilty because everything I eat is yummy.

Okay, enough with the healthy talk. Preparing calamari isn't very hard to do. There are only a few steps associated with it though it did take me a while to prepare. First of all, you've got to separate the head from its body. Grabbing underneath the eyes and gently pulling it away from the body also pulls out all its internal organs. Next, you've got to pull out these plastic like things which run through its entire body (they're like its skeleton). They literally look like bits of plastic. Scrap the skin off by using a knife then pulling it off to get a nice white flesh. Cut off flaps (you can use these) and I like to turn it inside out just to wash it and get rid of everything else that's in it.

I fried the calamari off with a little oil until it turned opaque then marinated it in my chilli dressing for about three hours. It consists of finely sliced basil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, tabasco and olive oil. I think the tabasco did really well in this dish. It complimented the calamari nicely and gave a slight tang to it. Serve with lots of vegetables and done. Another healthy dish.

Eggplant Caprese Salad

2011-04-07T16:23:00.000+10:00

There's no such thing as a 'too simple' salad. A traditional caprese salad just has tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil but I had to use the new griddle pan that I just bought from Victoria's Basement. I got the idea of adding eggplant to this when I was flicking through some recipes the other day.

I couldn't find buffalo mozzarella and I hear that it's very expensive so I just used bocconcini which I think still has the same effect, not that I've tried buffalo mozzarella. I never realised how expensive bocconcini was because I've always bought it on a special for quick sales. Nevertheless, I needed it so putting in a little extra money for it wasn't too bad.

Serve with balsamic vinaigrette

This probably took me less than 5 minutes to put together (I spent a little longer on details just for the photo). Before hand though, salting the sliced eggplant and letting in strain in a colander is necessary as it draws out the moisture from the eggplant. I never thought that this worked and thought this step was pointless but I actually saw little beads of water come out of the eggplant so I guess it does work. Wash and pat dry.

My cast iron griddle pan is super-cali-awesome!! It's heavy and conducts really well and I'm stoked that I've finally bought one. There will be more adventures coming with my griddle pan.

Tomato and zucchini toastie

2011-04-04T12:19:00.000+10:00

One of the main reasons I'm cooking so much lately is because I've finished my assignments and readings for this week and I have lots of free time and it also makes me feel better. I haven't used my sandwich press in a while and I know it has always given me good results when I throw bread in there and seeing as I had bread I decided to utilise it.

Chop this, slice that, scatter cheese, pick herbs and done. I could've shoved everything in the sandwich press but my cheese was frozen so I put it the oven just to be safe. What I did was toast the bread then put it in the oven for a little longer for the vegetables to cook and cheese to melt.

Simple. Easy. Straight forward. Un-difficult. Done.

Baked rosemary potato slices with sauteed zucchini

2011-04-03T23:04:00.000+10:00

Basements books located under railway square sells really cheap books and has got a whole wall full of cookbooks. I got a tip from a friend that she bought a Julia Child cookbook for only $10. I checked it out and they usually go for $40 so it's a really good deal. The cookbook lacks food porn but it gives you heaps of techniques and different ways of cooking things. There is even a whole section dedicated to different ways of cooking zucchinis.

I flicked through that section and I didn't realise there were so many ways of preparing and serving courgettes. The most basic one was slicing them into cubes and sautéing them in butter until brown. I bought heaps of zucchinis the other day which is why I was particularly interested in this section.

Of course you can't just have sauteed zucchinis on its own. It would just look stupid. So I baked some potatoes and threw some rosemary on it. It turned out really well because they were soft on the inside yet crispy on the out despite being so thin.

I actually planned to make butter chicken but somehow this idea got in the way. I did make butter chicken as well. Too much food but of course sharing is caring and I invited the first person available.

Potato bake

2011-04-02T15:10:00.000+11:00

I managed to search through pages and pages of recipes and cookbooks this morning, bookmarking quite a few to make for later. This is the first time I have the whole day to myself - no uni (though I do have work at night) - so of course I have to spend it cooking or rock climbing. Evidently, I chose to make something.

I actually didn't get this from one of my cookbooks. Browsing through all my food porn sparked this idea. I already had everything in my fridge so going out to buy groceries today was pretty pointless. Be prepared to wait an hour for this to cook. I was hungry when I started preparing so I made a sandwich while waiting. I also managed to take a nap and wake up just in time to see it bubble and brown.

I really wanted to share what I made with someone so I tried inviting a few people over but none of them were free. Fail whale! The smell of potatoes and cheese filled my house, you could hear it crackling and bubble in the oven and see the mouth-watering caramelised cheese on top. Drool.

Warning: may cause lactose intolerant individuals to faint

There are usually at least three layers of potato in a potato bake but as my baking dish was quite small I could only fit two layers. I also decided to add tomatoes and zucchini for a little freshness to it but I don't think it really worked. It was nice but a traditional dish like this should just have traditional ingredients. Potatoes, cheese, bacon, rosemary and thyme and salt and pepper. Don't forget the salt and pepper like I always do. I added it on my last bite which did really help.

For herbs I added dill (leftover from the fish) and rosemary. The dill was a mistake because the flavours in dill don't change when put in the oven and it doesn't go well with potatoes. Just stick with rosemary and thyme. Oh yeah, I also made a bechamel sauce to layer in between the potatoes. Top with cheese and cover with foil for 50 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees celcius then remove foil to allow cheese to brown.

Tartare sauce

2011-03-26T17:24:00.000+11:00

I had bought a whole jar of capers and used only a little bit so I had to make do with the rest of it somehow. I made the same dish yesterday with a few variations as I ran out of a few things and also made tartare sauce to go with it.

I always make my own mayonnaises because its dead easy and cheap and tastes better. Today was different though. I think I have mastered the art of making mayos. Muahaha! I've seen everywhere that you need to add lemon to your egg yolk and dijon mustard but I have always removed this step because I've never had lemons ready at hand. Lemons were only 99c a kilo at woolies today so I stocked up heaps.

Adding lemon to the mixture emulsifies the egg to make the consistency of the mayo thicker. The acidity of the lemon helps with this and really does change everything. I added about a tablespoon of capers and dill as well. No pickles unfortunately because I didn't want to buy a whole jar and use one pickle. I might steal one from work...

Anyway, best mayo I've made.

Jason's tartare sauce

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

1 tbs of lemon juice

1 tbs capers

1 tsp of dill

olive oil

1. Whisk yolk, dijon mustard and lemon juice together.

2. Slowly add oil in a thin stream whisking at the same time until it is of a thick consistency. This may be hard for those who cannot multitask. Assistance may be required.

3. Add capers and dill and whisk until combined.

Crispy Skinned Fish

2011-03-25T12:57:00.000+11:00

The reason I want to learn in a commercial kitchen environment is because you learn little things that can change a whole dish completely. I was watching TV this morning and Curtis Stone was making fish. He said to make the skin of the fish nice and crispy you had to put it in a cold pan and then crank up the heat on it. Placing the fish in a hot frying pan makes the fish shrivel up hence a not-so-crispy effect.

I went to buy some barramundi straight after to try this theory. Yes it worked but I didn't know where to go to buy the fish as I haven't built up a reliable fish monger store. See I know where to buy my fruits and vegetables because I go there all the time but I don't usually buy fish. I didn't even know that they actually are able to cut the fish for you into fillets. I got a whole barramundi which costs $17 and got 4 fillets out of it. I'm not sure if that's expensive or not but I'm not sure I really got a good deal. And I couldn't buy half because they can't just cut the fish in half and put it back on display.

Barramundi is delicious

It was virtually impossible to find fennel today as I was planning to just copy Stone and serve what he served with the fish which was grilled fennel and onions with chopped flat leaf parsley and capers. The only thing I could find were capers from woolies and I already had some onions at home. No parsley and fennel. Great. I just went home after walking around for about half an hour.

I ended up using the field mushroom in my fridge, cherry tomatoes and I picked a few leaves of sage from my garden. I would usually dice onions but recently I've been cutting them into rings a lot lately. I made a mistake with the fish. I believed the fillet was too thick and I didn't think it would cook all the way through before it started to burn. So when I felt it was ready to flip, I actually took it out of the frying pan and on my chopping board to cut that extra bit off. Silly me, it separated the skin from the fish. It did work though.

Salad me!

2011-03-16T22:36:00.001+11:00

Salads are a great alternative to junk foods such as shapes, biscuits and takeaway. They're not only healthy (depending on what type of dressing you use) but they're quite tasty if you know what to put in it. I haven't been using my cookbooks lately because of the inaccessibility of it. They're so difficult to reach because my mum hid them in one of my cupboards. So I've gathered inspiration from different restaurants.

Mushroom salad with balsamic vinaigrette

For the chicken salad I used four different types of leaves: rocket, baby spinach, cos lettuce and green coral lettuce. The leaves must be cut, washed then spun dry so that they last longer in the fridge and stay crisp. Store in an airtight container. I had a friend who told me to wash and dry salad leaves/lettuces then put them in a plastic bag with a bit of paper towel in it so that the lettuce will stay crisp. I don't know. I tested that theory out and I believe that my theory works just as well and its a lot tidier and easier in my opinion.

Chicken salad: I just threw everything in

I added cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, full cream feta and fried chicken which was cooked beautifully (so tender and juicy). For the second salad I ran out of ingredients so I had to go out and buy some more. It was in the middle of the night so the supermarket had already put away their chicken. I had no choice but to buy field mushrooms because steak would just cost too much. You need good quality steak for a steak salad so I didn't want to buy it. Feta had also run out so I tried something different and bought Danish feta.

The difference is that 'normal' feta crumbles easilier and tastes nice and salty and solid whereas Danish feta is sort of like goats cheese. It's mushier and a lot saltier and has a different texture. I have an interest with all things Danish after my trip from New Zealand so I bought it and tried it. It wasn't too bad. I think I'd prefer normal feta and I could use Danish feta elsewhere.

I also had to roast some capsicum for my mushroom salad as well as peel and roast the mushrooms themselves. They were brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, thyme and oregano. Cook till soft and slice and put in salad. Likewise with the capsicum. The mushrooms and capsicum took about the same time to cook.

Moo Burgers

2011-03-13T23:06:00.000+11:00

I was taking a Danish friend around to explore the city of Sydney until we decided we were hungry. I decided to take him to an area that was outside of the main precinct so that he could experience a different part of Sydney - Newtown. Newtown is a place filled with heaps of restaurants with lots of quirky culture and individuals. It wasn't that difficult to choose where we wanted to eat as I already had a place in mind and Kasper didn't mind where we went.

I've recently heard of this new place called 'Moo' which sells gourmet burgers. I've heard some people even say the burgers are better than the ones at Grill'd. So I set out on an adventure with Kasper to see whether this theory was true.

Moo has a huge variety of burgers that you could choose from including beef, wagyu, chicken, turkey and duck and probably more but I didn't take notice as I was choosing between wagyu or beef. The thing was that when I approached a counter, a brochure promoting $10 meals for students which included a burger, chips and a bottle of water, was indeed calling for my attention. I was asked for my student I.D when I ordered this and so did Kasper but as he is an international visitor to the country, he didn't have one.

The cashier thought that I was only ordering for myself or maybe that Kasper wasn't with me so I showed her my id, paid for it and done. I then told her that Kasper wanted the same thing so she processed it and bam - no need for id. So both the student and the backpacker got good deals at this joint.

Problem: burgers at Grill'd are better. I know this might sound crazy, but there was way too much meat to everything else in ratio. The meat crumbled and fell apart and it just wasn't as satisfying. I did enjoy the chips though with the 'piri piri sauce' which is pretty much peri peri sauce. Moo was overpriced with even the sauces costing $1.50 each for only a small portion. Furthermore, and I know this may sound very asian of me but I added an extra egg to my burger and they charged me $2.50. That $2.50 could buy me a carton of eggs!

It was filling though and I probably would go back just to try the duck burger and/or the wagyu beef burgers but that's it! Living on a budget is difficult. Only on occasions.

Oh and I recently found a really awesome pasta book hidden at the back of my cupboard which I probably will try to use within the next few posts.

Cheese and Eggplant omelette

2011-02-28T22:53:00.000+11:00

I love the freedom of being able to open your fridge, stare at it and decide that there's nothing worth making with the things in your fridge. You close the fridge door and come back five minutes later to do the same thing only to find that nothing has changed. I usually do that on a regular basis when my fridge is full with ingredients but seeing as my parents have gone overseas for a few months, the fridge is now almost empty.

It wasn't that hard to decide what to make this morning when I opened my fridge because all that was staring at me was the half used eggplant and the almost finished packet of mozeralla cheese and of course the left over pizza. I didn't really feel like having pizza for breakfast so I chose the eggs, eggplant and cheese.

I just diced the eggplant, fried it off and then added the egg and cheese at the end. I made it the usual way drawing the edges of the omelette towards the middle and allowing the liquid to fill in the spaces. Season with salt and pepper and done. I also added a little dried oregano just to give it a little extra taste. Yummy.

Baked Capsicum stuffed with Couscous

2011-02-27T18:39:00.000+11:00

Back home and I'm ready to play with ideas that I've gathered throughout traveling and talking to people from all over the world. The first thing that I wanted to try sounded pretty awesome. A french guy told me something about stuffing a capsicum with couscous and other stuff. I decided to add onions, mushrooms, eggplant, sage and then bake it in the oven with cheese.

Poor quality images because my waterproof camera broke underwater

I think I could have seasoned it a little further but it was really nice. I think the capsicum might have been a little overpowering because of the thickness of it but overall the different textures went together in a weird way. The capsicum, couscous, bits of eggplant and cheese just made it strange but in a good way. Yeah, I haven't really got much to say about this.

Fergburger

2011-02-16T17:29:00.000+11:00

Quoted as one of the best burgers in New Zealand, the Fergburger offers insane burgers with different types of meat. You can choose from the usual such as beef and chicken but there were also choices from venison (wild fiordland deer) and beer battered fish.

Of course I chose the venison burger because I've never seen that any where in Australia. It consisted of aioli, thai plum chuney and lettuce tomato and onion. It was a little bit messy to eat because they smothered the chutney on the burger but overall was really nice. Meat was a little well done and the chutney a bit too sweet but nice. It doesn't seem like I enjoyed this burger very much because there's just so much critique to it but I did like it. It's because I'm a burger expert and I know the difference between a 5 star burger and just a regular burger.

Fries were really good as well with aioli but I was so full from the burger I only ate half the packet so I shared the rest with my fellow backpacker. These burgers were quite expensive but definitely worth it. I do believe that they should have used better lettuce though. Furthermore, they used the same grilling system as they do at Grill'd but I think they cook their meat for too long because I noticed that most of the meat was getting over cooked. The other problem was that they didn't have any plates so they just served my burger and chips to me like that and I just ate off the table. They did wipe down my table before I ate though.

If you're ever in Queenstown, go straight to Fergburger after your bungee jump because it's sooo satisfying and will fill you up heaps.

Pork and Chilli Apple pasta

2011-02-14T14:46:00.000+11:00

When you're travelling, there isn't much room for creativity but here's something that really blew me away. I actually got this idea off a French guy that I met ice climbing in Franz Josef. I asked him if he cooked at home and he said he didn't but because he was French he had some really cool ideas.

He mentioned something about putting apples into his pasta as it slightly sweetens it and also gives it a different texture. I decided to try this out and I bought some pork mince which was mixed with tomato paste and some herbs and soy sauce etc. Another friend I went grocery shopping with loves chilli beans which are basically kidney beans and a sort of thick chilli sauce. Really good so I added that to my pasta as well.

Doesn't look super but you can't really do much when you're in a hostel

I fried the mince, caremlised some onions and apples, heated the chilli beans and then added my tomato pasta sauce with capsicum. The pasta was then mixed with it and wallah! The taste was amazing!! The subtle sweetness of the apple, marinated pork mince with those mushy beans were really good. They were spontaneous decisions to add all of those but I actually believe that this is probably the best dish that I've cooked. It might be missing a few colours but I can improve on it later when I have all my resources.

I'm actually going to brand it as my signature dish because I don't have one yet. So there it is: Jasons pork and chilli apple pasta.

Mcdonalds

2011-02-02T10:34:00.000+11:00

When you're in a different country and you come across a McDonalds, you have to try it. There's always the need to compare your maccas to their maccas. I went their for breakfast and they had the usual menu. New Zealand pretty much has all the promotions that the Australian McDonalds has. The only item different on the breakfast menu was the bacon and egg bagel.

I didn't feel like the bacon so I asked them if I could change the bacon to a sausage patty instead. He replied no. Now, having worked at McDonalds myself for quite a few years I knew this was not the right answer. In the end, I got my way as you can see and enjoyed a lovely sausage and egg bagel.

It was really nice for a maccas burger. I don't normally like maccas breakfast but it was alright. Tolerable. Almost enjoyable. The only problem was that it was too cheesy which might have been a little overpowering. Other than that, everything else was the same.

Hell's Pizza

2011-02-01T08:44:00.000+11:00

Finally arriving in a town with blue skies, sunny weather and thrilling activities, I decided that it was time to treat myself a little and eat out. There were quite a few nice restaurants in Taupo but one definitely stood out.

It's dark colours somehow attracted me to the entrance and suddenly I was standing in front of the menu deciding which pizza I wanted. Australians don't measure using inches rather using centimetres instead. So I asked the guy at the counter behind the RIP stone how big the medium sized pizza was as I didn't know how large a 10" pizza was. He answered 10".

Being well informed, I ordered a 'Damned' vegetarian pizza that had a lot of things on it. Avocado, mushrooms, onions, cheese, spinach, cashews, pineapple and a few others things I forgot. I was eating with my Italian friend and she said that Italians never put pineapple on pizzas.

The pizza was really nice and had a really thin pizza base so you could taste everything. Even though there were so many toppings you could taste everything and it wasn't too big.

Lamb and mint pie

2011-01-21T18:25:00.001+11:00

Within seconds of arriving at my hotel, I bump into this crazy girl who asked me if I have any mugs. I said I think I did and that I would check my room if I had any but it turned out there were none. Not even toilet paper. Nonetheless, she still followed me into my cubicle room which could literally only fit one, max two people and with my backpack that counts for two.

So we venture out and go downstairs to steal two mugs hidden in a locked cupboard. One held the door ajar while the other squeezed the mugs through. Success. That's teamwork for you. This leads onto the lamb and mint pie, just wait. She brings me to her room where we have a few drinks with her friends and her mate goes to me Aussie pies are 'shit'.

I was shocked. I thought Australian pies were actually really good quality and taste quite nice. Well some of them anyway. He told me to wait and see until I try a Kiwi pie. Alas, this morning I walked past a 'Gourmet Sandwich' store where I stood staring at expensive sandwiches for about five minutes trying to decide which one was the best for me. Then I noticed the pies staring at me. The lamb and mint pie was particularly jumping out at me and I made a split second decision to grab it.

The taste was absolutely amazing. The pastry was lovely and thick but not too flaky or hard or too soggy. Just right. We don't even have lamb and mint pies in Australia. There were chunks of lamb and carrot, both were very tender and juicy. I actually think the mint was the main attraction for this pie. It had a subtle, not too overpowering mint jelly taste so it was a little sweet. Definitely the best pie I've ever tasted, hands down.

You know what, this lamb and mint pie sparks up many more ideas. They should make turkey and cranberry pie or even apple and pork pie.

Scotch fillet steak with roast vegetables

2011-01-19T17:48:00.000+11:00

I believe that scotch fillets are the best part of the cow. It is a little more expensive than other cuts of meat ($16/kg) but it is super tender if cooked correctly and tastes really good. They use it in steak sandwiches and salads at some restaurants so I bought it today to try.

It doesn't need much seasoning or marinating at all because the cut is that good. There aren't any bones in it only little bits of fat but that make the bit of meat tender and juicy and flavour. Roast vegetables included potatoes, sweet potato and carrot. I boiled them a little before hand but I think that's only necessary with the potatoes. The sweet potato will soften in the oven easily.

I actually think the steak will be better with a salad because it just freshens it up. The sauce that's spattered all over the plate was a mistake but I think it looked good so I just left it. Or maybe it does look horrific. But its a red wine jus which of course I failed again. It's either my palate has not acquired the red wine taste or I have made it wrong every single time. I actual think I've made it wrong every single time I've tried to make a sauce out of red wine.
I will be on semi-hiatus for the next month as I'm traveling to the New Zealand. I'll try and do some posts on their food.

Polenta

2011-01-12T13:14:00.000+11:00

At first, I thought polenta was a type of mash because it had the same consistency and texture as a creamy, buttery mash. It's actually made out of cornmeal, cheese and chicken stock. Polenta is versatile and many things can be done with it. You can eat it as a 'mash' with steak, chicken or whatever or bake it and turn them into chips like I have.

Polenta is traditionally a slow cooked meal from Italy but these days there are many shortcuts and instant products you can buy. My polenta was from the warehouse which doesn't really change the fact that it might've been instant polenta but it was definitely really cheap. It literally took less than two minutes to cook and thicken. Any more than that then the polenta will burn or if you don't have a non stick pan, it will stick to the bottom and will be quite difficult to get off.

Didn't have time to work on presentation...

I added thyme to mine because Kim gave me some from her sisters very large thyme bush. I might as well use it in as many things as possible otherwise it will go to waste. I think it worked quite well and it was really tasty.

They're a really good snack or finger food for an audience as well. I fed a few of my mates these and I believe most of them enjoyed it.

Polenta chips

3/4 cup polenta

2 cups of chicken stock

a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1. Bring chicken stock to the boil in a non-stick frying pan

2. Add polenta. Stir for about two minutes or until polenta is well combined and the mixture has thickened.

3. Stir in thyme and cheese.

You can leave it like this and serve. Definitely have a bite of it and see what it tastes like.

4. Pour the mixture in a square container and let it sit in the fridge to set fora bout 1-2 hours.

5. Drop the mould on a chopping board and slice into chips.

6. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for about 15 minutes turning half way.

Fish Fingers

2011-01-09T18:17:00.000+11:00

I think I've said and reinforced it many times before but I do not like prepackaged products such as fish fingers, pizza, lasagne etc. Some are great such as party pies and corn fritters but when ingredients and the end result is easily available why would you buy it packaged when you can make it yourself minus the preservatives, flavours and all those numbers and colours.

You see, when you make fish fingers at home you know that they're 100% fish. Not 60%, not a 'minimum' of 49% fish - 100% fish. They are really easy to make and are much better for you than the ones that are packaged because you know exactly whats gone in them. I think I should have blended the fish but I noticed that they were already a perfect shape when cut so I just left them.

I've made everything fresh from the breadcrumbs to the fish to the salad to the vinaigrette and mayonnaise. I put day old, refrigerated bread in the oven until it was dry and all the moisture had evapourated. I then used my food processor to pulse it to nice and fresh bread crumbs. Thyme was also added for a little extra flavour.

This fish must be coated in flour then egg before it is dipped into the bread crumbs to allow it all to stick together and hold. The mayonnaise was exactly the same as the djion mustard and honey dressing except that I added an egg yolk to step one of the process. This thickens the consistency of the mixture that identifies it as a mayonnaise instead of a vinaigrette.

Serve with salad because having fried foods are bad for you. It just makes everything lighter and more enjoyable. I've recently seemed to keep on missing the seasoning. It's always at the end of everything that I just remember that I need salt and pepper. Next time for sure.

Want to know how to make it?

For the fish fingers
2 fillets of any type of white fish
4 heaped tbsp plain flour
2 eggs beaten
4 slices of day old bread
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
salt and pepper

Honey dijonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Place bread in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius. One it is well toasted and dry, put in a food processor and blitz to fine bread crumbs. Mix with 2 teaspoons of thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cut the fish into strips. If you want it pulsed and shaped to your liking, put in a food processor until well blended and smooth.
3. Put flour, egg and breadcrumbs in three seperated flat bowls/plates.

4. Roll fish in flour then dip in the egg wash then roll in breadcrumbs pressing down gently making sure it is well covered.

5. Fry at a medium temperature until golden and crunchy. The thicker slices may take a little longer so make sure not to burn them.

6. For the mayonnaise, mix together the egg yolk, mustard, honey, white wine vinegar and salt and pepper with a whisk.
7. In a thin stream, slowly add the oil whisking at the same time. Taste if it is thick enough and if it needs any more seasoning. If it's not thick enough then add a little more oil. Remember that home made mayonnaise is no where near the same as store bought mayonnaise.
8. Serve with salad.

Potato rosti

2011-01-05T13:52:00.000+11:00

In my attempt to make hash browns this morning, I instead made something that looked more like a rosti. Hashies and rosti's are both made of potato. They are both cooked the same way and look almost the same. The only difference is that rosti's originated from Switzerland and hashies from the UK.

The other difference is that rosti uses grated potato whereas hash browns uses diced potatoes. Well the commercial ones do anyway. The problem with my rosti's were that I made them in a rush. It literally took me 5 minutes all up to prepare and cook. My mum had noticed I missed a few things. Salt, pepper and herbs. The ingredients that make it tasty!

So I asked my mum to quickly add salt and pepper to the mixture while I was cooking. She dumped a whole load of salt and a little pepper onto it so the end result was quite salty. I also didn't have time to add herbs so I just put a sprig on thyme on top.

The sauce was actually the dressing I had made last night. The dijon and honey dressing. Worked perfectly with this. However, the taste of the rosti's weren't amazing. They were good just not as good as I'd hope. Firstly, they were too oily and secondly too salty. I'll definitely pay more attention to what I need to put in it next time and I might actually bake them.

So here's how to make them.

Potato rosti
4 large desiree potatoes, grated
2 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Thyme, leaves picked

1. Combine everything.
2. Fill up olive oil in a shallow fry pan to about 1cm
3. Form a little ball with the potato mixture and put in the frying pan.
4. Gently press with a spatula.
5. It'll take about a minute on each side. Once the edges of the rosti are brown, you can flip it and cook for until the other side is nice and golden.

If you're baking it, whack in the oven at 200 degrees celcius until golden. Turn half way. This could take about 10 minutes.

Vinaigrette

2011-01-04T23:47:00.000+11:00

I made a salad today for my brother and with it was a very nice vinaigrette. It's commonly used and is even used at my work. It consists of 1/3 balsamic vinegar and 2/3 extra virgin olive oil. I think it's a really lovely and goes well with almost any salad. But my brother didn't like it. He said it was too sour so I tried to fix it up by using lime infused oil and even avocado oil which didn't really turn out well because it just made the dressing taste oily and thick.

The colour comes from the honey and dijon mustard

I had an epiphany just then. Well not really. I remembered that I made an awesome vinaigrette for my prawn salad I made a few months ago. It was made up of a tsp of dijon mustard, honey and red wine vinegar and about 2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. I made it and even though there was no salad to go with it yet I made my brother try it and he said 'that's nice'. My brother wanted a sweet dressing. He got a sweet dressing. Everything just compliments each other so well. Try it with your next salad.

Did you know that there are things called unhealthy salads? Well, basically anything that's a 'creamy' dressing eg. caesar dressing is bad for you. I'm sure there are healthy dressings that use yoghurt etc but most are bad. If you're serious about having a healthy salad, use a vinaigrette.

Flour, pizza sauce and pizza

2011-01-03T21:33:00.000+11:00

I thought that there were only two types of flour - self raising and plain - but I've unrecently discovered that there are lots of different types. There's flour for bread and pizza, pasta, pastry and loads more.

It's better to use pizza flour to make a pizza dough because its stronger and makes the end result a lot smoother and tastier. I've made pizza dough with plain flour a long time ago and I noticed that it was difficult to roll and it just wasn't the same. I don't think its actually called pizza flour. It's actually just harder than plain flour because it has a higher content of gluten in it. The more gluten there is in the flour the harder it is. Conversely, self raising and plain flour have lower amounts of gluten and can be bought at the supermarket. Also, 00 flour is just a stronger flour that could be used for making pasta. Furthermore, pastry flour also known as 'soft flour' has a lower content of gluten so its a lot softer which makes the product fluffier and lighter. Enough about flour!

I used a can of chopped tomatoes, a swig of red wine vinegar, a clove of garlic, a bunch of basil leaves and about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and blended it altogether to make a nice tomato base for the pizza. I'm not a huge supporter of convenience products so I do try my best to make everything fresh because you know exactly what is going in.

Making pizza can be a communal thing and it can be a lot of fun. All you need to do is prepare lots of ingredients and get your friends and/or family to help you put all the toppings together. Use mozzarella cheese for a stringy pizza with bocconcini for different taste and variety. I like to put the cheese first before everything is put on the pizza because it allows the eater to see what is exactly on the pizza and helps it hold all the ingredients together.

Less is more. It's not a good idea to layer your pizza 10cm high because the flavours will get confused and you wont be able to taste anything. It will just feel like you're eating pizza. Sounds ironic but you want to be able to enjoy your pizza. Serve with a salad and you're done. I used pork mince with dried oregano, salt and pepper, cherry tomatoes, jalepenos and fresh basil, sage and oregano.

You must serve it with a salad because it will make you feel ten times healthier. You literally wont feel fat if you eat it with a salad. It works and its good for you. A really simple salad with just green leaves and a vinaigrette is enough. I just mixed balsamic vinegar with extra virgin olive oil.

Making your own dough is better than any pizza hut, eagle boy or dominos. You should try it. It's definitely worth it. Don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty.

Pizza dough (makes 6-8 pizzas) recipe from Jamie Oliver

1kg strong bread flour

1 level tbsp fine sea salt

2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

650ml lukewarm water

1. In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for about 5-10 minutes until it has become foamy. You will notice it as the yeast reacts with the water.

Foamier than this

2. Seive the flour and salt onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle then pour the foamy liquid into the well.

3. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid, when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean hands.

4. Knead Until you have a smooth, springy dough. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

5. Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Place in a warm room for about half an hour to an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

6. Once it has doubled in size, knead the dough a little to push the air out.

7. Divide into 6-8 balls and roll out. If not using straight away, roll out and layer in between of oiled sheets of foil. Wrapping a ball of dough in cling film and rolling it out later doesn't work as well when you've made it fresh. That's why you need to roll it all out immediately, stack them, then either refrigerate or freeze them if not using for a while.

Cook pizzas at 200 degrees Celcius for about 10-15 minutes.

Black sticky rice porridge

2010-12-30T22:33:00.000+11:00

This was an interesting dish that really grabbed my attention when I opened my new cookbook 'Breakfast'. It was an image of black rice and it stood out like any other black ingredient (black pasta etc). There were only a few ingredients and they were coconut milk, sugar and palm sugar. I thought fair enough, easy to make.

Yes, simple but I'm not sure I got it right. I think they might've got the portions in the book wrong because my end result was very watery and extremely sweet. Or I might've been wrong but I'm pretty sure I'm always right...

I had to strain it at the end and I was left with a pool of coconut milk mixture. It was a combination of the palm sugar, sugar and coconut milk that made it so sweet. Unless you eat lollies for breakfast, this isn't really ideal for a morning snack. Actually, this was sweeter than lollies. The book also told me to serve with more coconut milk!! Urgh.

My mum also offered to make it for me but I was like NOO!!! I'll manage it myself! This post started off as positive and it just went downhill.

Cherry tomato and bocconcini omelette

2010-12-28T19:18:00.000+11:00

Omelettes are so easy to make and you can get more out of an omelette from an egg than one scrambled egg. They're also a lot of fun to make and experiment with because you can just add about anything. From cheese to asparagus to mushrooms, prawns, herbs you can really turn a simple omelette into anything.

As the title suggests, I added cherry tomatoes and bocconcini to mine. I had some left over from that asparagus salad. Before you judge the image, I'll let you know that its actually not undercooked. The white bits were actually the bocconcini that made the omelette look watery because when I tasted it was perfectly cooked.

I make omelettes the same way I make my scrambled eggs. I slowly draw the edges to the middle until most of the egg is cooked. With scrambled eggs I then flip it and start bashing it and taking it off just before its cooked so that it sets nicely. With an omelette I just leave it. Of course to both, I season with salt and pepper, herbs if needed and add about a tablespoon of milk to it. The milk makes it lighter and not too thick so its more pleasant.

Duxelle rolled steak with balsamic reduction

2010-12-27T14:12:00.000+11:00

I've always been too scared to make a balsamic reduction because I'm scared I'll just burn it off completely. That's actually what happened when I was doing a red wine reduction. I didn't really measure properly and I simmered it all off so there was nothing left. I also used wine that had been refrigerated so it tasted very vinegary.

For those of you who don't really know, a balsamic reduction and a balsamic vinegar are two different substances. A balsamic reduction is basically balsamic vinegar reduced to a thick consistency like a syrup. You have to simmer off all those things that make it a vinegar and burn it all off so that its a lot more concentrated.

This sauce isn't used as a gravy. It's very strong so you only need a little to turn a plain dish into something better. The balsamic vinegar needs to be reduced by 75% for it to thicken properly. You need to watch out when reducing it and keep watch because once it has reduced down to 25%, it burns off really quickly. I used paddlepop sticks to determine how much it has reduced by. Stick it in at 100% and then keep on measuring as time goes by.

When it actually does reach 25% it will still look runny and watery. Don't worry, it will thicken after it cools. Store in an air tight container and it'll last about 7 days. There is no need to refrigerate.

Asparagus salad with boccocini and marinated cherry tomatoes

2010-12-22T23:10:00.000+11:00

A fresh summer sort of salad that is quite tasty and very light. The cherry tomatoes were dashed in red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a yellow bean sauce. Yellow bean sauce is basically soy beans that have been fermented with salt and water so the taste is quite salty. After I added these to the cherry tomatoes, I infused it with a little coriander to lighten it up a bit because red wine vinegar and yellow bean sauce are quite powerful ingredients.

The asparagus was boiled in salted water until tender and that took about a minute or two. I just poked them with a fork at the end and if the fork went through easily then it was ready. When preparing them, I like to snap them at the end of the stalks as it indicates the woody end so you get rid of that. Drain and then refresh them. Refreshing means to run under cold water to stop the cooking process. This allows the product to retain its colour and/or shape.

They're all light ingredients and go really well together. You can experiment with other ingredients but I would make this a million times for anything; breakfast, lunch or entree for a dinner.

Spiced and herbed roast potatoes

2010-12-17T01:52:00.000+11:00

It is my personal opinion that I make the best roast potatoes. I season really well and use a variety of herbs. Usually just thyme or just rosemary is fine but how about rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage? A little too much I think though. I say this because I have recently tried to grow my own herbs. I went to IKEA and bought all those herbs mentioned above and planted them because those particular herbs are almost impossible to find at the groceries at Cabramatta.

My new herb garden

This time I decided to grind my own pepper and did not season to taste. Consequently, the potatoes were over peppered and tasted quite peppery. Pepper has never tasted so chilli in my life. So lesson learned - season to taste!

Notice the new bowl from IKEA

Besdies that, everything was amazing.

The real Cabramatta

2010-12-09T19:40:00.000+11:00

You go to Cabramatta for the food, not the service. The food is amazing and there's a huge range of authentic Vietnamese and Chinese food in the area. However, don't expect five star customer service because you definitely won't get it, not even in the shops where they speak English.

I was at the Vietnamese restaurant in the corner at the end of John Street and the waiter was taking our orders. Suddenly, she saw someone she knew and started waving frantically and screaming at the person across the road trying to get their attention. This went on for about a minute and then she went away from our table towards to entrance and stood on the porch yelling and waving to the people in the car. After that little skit, she went and served a different table and walked inside. She didn't even finish taking our orders. I've had a lot of problems with this particular restaurant and I only go back because majority rules.

You can't even complain about the shitty customer service because 1. they don't speak english or 2. they don't care. The most you can expect is a hi. Actually, no you can't. There's another little stall across the road from Gloria Jeans that sells Vietnamese food in containers and stuff like that. Their rice paper rolls are so good and delicious I always go back to buy them. Plus they're really cheap costing only $4.50 for three large rolls. But sometimes when you turn up at the counter, the guy just looks at you and gives you a dirty. You might even get a 'what?' but I think that's his way of saying hi and welcome and then you order. No hellos, no please, no thank yous. Just an exchange of goods.

You know you could get through a whole day in Cabramatta without speaking a word of English. I can bad mouth Cabramatta all I want because it's where I've grown up and I've learnt to accept that there is no customer service, just awesome and authentic food.

Okay I'll tell you one more story. I went to noodle house which has the best crispy skinned chicken with rice/noodles (I think they actually call it criskin chicken). Anyway, I ordered noodles and chicken without something and my mum ordered her food. When we received our food, I got my food with the thing I didn't order and my mum got a completely different order. I told the waiter that that's not what my mum ordered and I had ordered this without this. She started to argue back saying no that's what you ordered and I'm like no this is what we ordered. She gave us a massive dirty and clicked her tongue. My mum got hers done and then I complained that my order wasn't correct. The waiter then said why don't you just take it out? And I told her no you're going to take it back and take it out for me. I then threw the bowl of food on the floor and demanded that she cleaned it up. That last bit may or may not be true but she continued to scowl and chuck a fit and continued to argue like she was right and customers shouldn't complain.

Cabramatta is usually depicted as bright, lively, full of culture and wonderful people but this is reality. This is the real Cabramatta for you.

Blueberry pancakes

2010-11-28T12:25:00.000+11:00

You know, I've never actually eaten fresh blueberries till my last post and they're quite refreshing. I had left over blueberries so I turned them into these. I love to use buttermilk with my pancakes because it makes the pancake a lot more moist, lighter and softer. It practically melts in your mouth when you take a bite out of it.

Buttermilk is basically just milk and self raising flour. It's also 98% fat free! Well that's what it says on the carton. Using normal milk doesn't really work for me as it makes it quite dense and you have to chew. I never end up finishing pancakes with normal milk and it just feels like a waste.

So what do blueberries taste like? The answer is chicken. No, they're actually sweet but have a hint of sour in it. It's not like sweet and sour sauce or anything but its something that tickles your tastebuds. I like to put honey and lots of melted butter on my pancakes because butter makes anything and everything delicious.

Blueberry scones

2010-11-25T21:13:00.000+11:00

"Someone has stolen three of my tarts!!"

I love that line from the Red Queen in Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland. It makes me laugh every time.

Todays story is blueberry scones. I've successfully accomplished making ordinary scones which I do not believe are ordinary at all. Ordinary scones are in fact extraordinary. The difference is just the little extra. Anyway, I've never actually tried fresh blueberries so I bought them out of impulse when I was grocery shopping.

"Why not put them into scones?!" I thought to myself so I set out a task to make these little pretties. I don't really know what went wrong but they actually didn't turn out lovely. Perhaps it was the buttermilk, or the amount of butter I used. Once thing is for sure though is that while I was kneading and rolling the mixture out, some of the blueberries burst which caused the mixture to moisten up. It became sticky again so I tried to add more flour.

Ultimately, I had to cook them for double the length because they just weren't caramelising. Consequently, the bottoms burnt. The taste wasn't as great either because I forgot the use of sugar and I didn't have any jam or cream at hand so I might go out and buy that tomorrow.

Lesson learnt. Do not steal the Red Queens tarts.

Carrot salad with oven-baked lamb shoulders

2010-11-14T19:09:00.001+11:00

This carrot salad was inspired from masterchef. They said carrot is quite versatile so I just added anything. I chose cranberries, mint, coriander, feta, pine nuts and salt & pepper. The only thing that ruined it was the type of oil that I used. I used my lemon oil and a fruity oil which didn't exactly have the right consistency for a nice summer salad. It ended up being a little gluggy and thick.

I didn't quite cook the lamb correctly either. First of all, the pan wasn't hot enough when I tried to sear it so the juices all leaked out when I put it in the oven. Secondly, I overcooked it so it was pretty much well done. I also attempted create a jus with the left over lamb juices but ruined it even further by adding flour. Oh well, the carrot salad was a good enough compliment.

The lamb was perfectly seasoned and the end result of the whole dish was surprisingly good. The carrot salad concealed the toughness of the lamb and provided a refreshing bite. Kim's sister absolutely loved it and went for seconds on the carrot salad. Yay, mission accomplished.

Horribly poached eggs with asparagus, bacon and hollandaise

2010-10-24T12:37:00.000+11:00

Waking up to the sound of birds making all sorts of noises including chirping, wood pecking, mini chainsawing and clucking inspired me to cook some breakfast. I had a beautiful sleep in and lots of free time so I thought I might as well make a good breakfast to perpetuate my mood for the day.

I’ve made hollandaise sauce once and that was three years ago during class. Actually, the teacher only demonstrated how to make it and served it with all our poached eggs. I don’t really remember how I managed to perfectly poach eggs but the ones I’m doing now are horrific.

The point of this post is probably the hollandaise. It's basically a type of warm mayonnaise that usually goes with poached eggs. The taste is rich and creamy that's seasoned with lime and salt and pepper. I added a few drops of lime juice but that didn't really work so I ended up mixing in some of my lime oil at the end which made it perfect. A rich, creamy, tangy sauce for eggs in the morning. Like a normal mayonnaise egg yolks are used but instead of the oil, butter is slowly whisked in over a double boiler situation to make the consistency rich and creamy.

Perfectly cooked steak salad with super dressing

2010-10-24T00:08:00.000+11:00

This does look like the previous lamb salad that I made but it is a tad different. I think I should work on different ways on presenting though.

I was content when I managed to cook the steak perfectly. It was a really nice medium rare. I don't know if it was luck or just pure talent but it was pretty good. Perhaps this is a reflection of the skills I picked up from work. I still say it's luck. But skill too. But more luck.

Anyway, I was in the neighborhood of Crows Nest and came across some markets. They sold organics, strawberries, gozleme and a vast range of infused oils. I was immediately drawn to the collection of oils and started to try the different ones they offered. There was truffle, lime, lemon, caremelised balsamic, pomegranate and lots more. The one the interested me most was the pomegranate which I didn't get to. Instead I ended up buying the lime infused extra virgin olive oil.

This could be used with green salads, fish and seafood. It has a really pleasant tang to it and because I love lime flavours I bought it. This is why I made a salad to eat. Threw in some ingredients, then mixed the lime oil with balsamic vinegar. This is what made the dressing a super dressing. Both were really strong flavors with lime and balsamic vinegar hitting your palate. Consequently, not much was needed in the salad. Rocket, feta, steak and bacon.

Lime and balsamic vinegar sounds like a good flavour to create for red rock deli chips...

Thai Green Curry

2010-10-22T11:25:00.001+11:00

I apologise in advance for the lack of photos. I didn't take any throughout the cooking process; just the end result because I was busy learning!

It's been months since I've asked nicely to be taught how to make this. I figured that I might as well learn the art of Asian food from a true asian food expert; that is my awesome mother. Her expertise in Asian cooking surpasses any top chef. Chefs would probably be able to present it better but my mums ability to create a truly authentic Asian dish with such ease and with so many ingredients is just inspiring. Its also the advantage of living down the road from asian markets and having access to really fresh asian (and non asian) ingredients.

One of my favourite dishes of my mums is her Thai green curry (and her pad thai which I've got to be retaught how to make). She taught me the whole process of making it so I am going to share this experience right.... Now!

What makes this dish so amazing is the freshly made fish balls. Red fish fillets are salt and peppered and left to marinate for a few hours to become firm. They are then put in a food processor along with egg whites to combine into a smooth paste. The egg whites help it all combine and stick. The blended result then needs to be kneaded with your palms in a bowl to make a solid result when cooked. I didn't knead it enough today so the fish balls were actually terrible. Usually they're pretty amazing. Best fish balls in the world. Maybe adding more stuff like galangal or lemon grass to the fish might enhance the flavour.

I asked to be taught how to make the curry paste from scratch but mother said to take one step at a time. Fair enough. So I used a can of green curry paste which consisted of galangal, lemon grass, lime leaves and lots of other stuff. It's quite chilli so the spiciness of the curry is determinant on how much paste you put in it. So first up you fry finely chopped garlic, coriander stems and lemon grass into a hot wok with a lot of oil. I know oil, bad for you but if you want delicious food get over it. What I mean is that there's a reason for everything and the oil for this helps keep the paste moist and not dry out throughout the cooking process.

After frying those things, I had to add the paste and let it combine and then add a little bit of coconut cream. The coconut cream does not overpower the dish at all and helps the dish become creamier instead of just a plain watery liquid. When thats done, add chopped up eggplant I used Thai eggplants which look like golf balls. I think I prefer normal eggplants though because you can't choose the Thai eggplants because you can only buy them in a bunch. Some are perfect and some are really seedy inside.

It seems like such a long process so I apologise in advance for the tedious adventure. I transferred this mixture (of eggplant tossed in the curry paste mixture) to a large pot and added stock and water about three quarters of the way. Furthermore, the fish balls were created and placed into the pot to cook. It only takes about a minute to cook the fish and once that's done you're pretty much done. More coconut cream was added after and as I said made it creamier. There was also fish sauce, sugar and chicken salt that was added to balance all the flavors.

Oh yeah a whole bunch of basil was also thrown into the pot. The end is always really rich and quite spicy. I always break out into a sweat but it's worth it. This might be a dinner party item. And if you've reached the end of this post you must be very bored.

Finally, this particular curry is always eaten with vermicelli noodles (in my house anyway). Nomnomnom.

Found an idol

2010-10-19T21:03:00.001+11:00

I was so glad that I decided to watch TV tonight because until this moment, I have never had a true food idol. Sure there are heaps of amazing chefs out there and they do amazing things with food but there was one chef that really stopped me in my tracks.

Chef Matt Stone was a contestant on the Iron Chef Australia competing against Neil Perry. Matt Stone is 23 years old and is the head chef of Greenhouse Restaurant located in Perth. The restaurants concept and design is all about sustainability, recycling and using freshly grown produce. Greenhouse is covered in pots of strawberries, has a garden growing on the roof top and have made their plates from recycled stuff including bottles and gas tins.

This guy really inspired me because he has so much talent at such a young age. Most head chefs usually range from their late 20's till old age. Not only that, he's pretty good looking as well. I also agree with the values that he holds about cooking which are producing food with the freshest ingredients possible. It's also very simple and honest. Furthermore, the passion that exuded from his personality could be felt from my living room and I'm such in awe!!

His creativity was just so crazy as well! The way he served his food on bottles (sorry don't have pictures), and the way he cooked that coconut ball. One of his other chefs filled a balloon with gas, filled that with coconut juice and rolled it in nitrogen to quickly freeze it. The result was like a coconut ball that was hollow and cracked when you hit it with a spoon. So creative!!

I'm definitely going to go to Perth to experience his restaurant and food. It's also confirmed that I will become a chef.

Bruschetta

2010-10-09T19:39:00.000+11:00

Following the theme of awesomely, crusty bread I decided to utilise the bread stick before it goes off. I'm sure if I just use my sandwich press it will be fine even after a while, or I can just turn it into breadcrumbs. Anyway, there are probably a few ingredients missing from this bruschetta becuase it didn't taste complete.

I learnt to make this in my year 11 hospitality class where my teacher taught me to make 'tomato concasse' (con-ca-say). It's basically diced, peeled, seeded tomato. What you do is you make 1mm incisions from top to bottom on four sides of the tomato. This allows the skin to peel off easily. Blanch the tomato for 30 seconds in boiling water then plunge it into cold water to stop the cooking process. You can then peel the skin off, quarter it, seed it then dice it. The final result is a tomato concasse.

I don't think this is a heavily used way of making bruschetta because it takes too long. I certainly don't see it done at many restaurants and I didn't do it with this one but I do believe that it does make a huge difference in the taste. It's a lot richer and tasty if you do this.

I only added red onion, diced tomatoes (also seeded because there's too much water in the seeds), basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. There are a few other ingredients missing but I can't really put my finger on it. Perhaps its garlic as well. And one more thing. Oh well, it will come to me!

Amazing breakfast

2010-10-07T13:23:00.000+11:00

As the title suggests, this was an amazing breakfast! This recipe derived from my experience at the airport. I had ordered a 'big' breakfast where I received tomatoes, mushrooms and scrambled eggs presented unpleasantly onto the plastic plate. The mushrooms were heavenly but the eggs were powdered and the tomatoes quite watery. It was a good combination so I decided this morning that I will replicate that and turn it into something fancy. This idea also derived from one of my cookbooks.

I never get the chance to buy this type of bread because whenever I go out to buy it, they don't have any left. That, or the bakeries in my area don't supply it. They only sell ordinary Vietnamese rolls full stop. So my mothers friend had donated this amazing bread stick and I thank her for her generosity because there are just a million possibilities that would work with this loaf.

It only took me about five to ten minutes to prepare and cook everything. Cut the tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and oregano and throw in the oven for 5 minutes or until nice and baked. Put fry pan on stove, rapidly whisk eggs and then fry taking 1-2 minutes. After the eggs are done, throw in some more butter and sauté the mushrooms until nicely caramelised.

Fortunately, I had everything I needed and ready to use. I had also utilised my new sandwich press which was really exciting. This is probably the best breakfast I've ever made. Easy to make, takes less than 5 minute a cooking time and tastes so good.

The bread was crusty, crunchy and delicious. It went well with everything. After I had finished my meal, I exclaimed 'that was an amazing breakfast'. Of course no one there to hear me but it was that satisfyingly good.

Meal for two - Oops, I mean ten

2010-10-05T22:35:00.000+11:00

I did have intentions of only making enough for two (for me and my brother if he wanted some). Instead I got carried away and ended up making a large for for ten plus people. It's such a waste because I don't know what to do with the rest. It's just sitting on the stove top looking pretty. Not even pretty, just sitting there!

I really wanted to cook today because today was such a lovely day. I went grocery shopping and just bought lots of random stuff. This included zucchini, eggplant, potato, carrot, parsnip, onions, couscous and canned tomatoes. It was exciting chopping everything up and preparing all the ingredients. Definitely a lot of fun but in the end I don't think it was worth it.

To be honest, it didn't really taste very good. I tried by adding lots of herbs and spices, even red wine but nope; it still tasted ordinary. Oh and it burnt my tongue!

Lamb salad

2010-10-03T19:37:00.000+11:00

Grill'd (burger restaurant) serves both burgers, salads and steak sandwiches and this idea derives from their salad menu. For those days you don't feel like a burger, a salad is always a good way to go. They have four salads you can choose from and they're pretty good. A grill'd chicken salad, chicken caesar salad, scotch fillet salad and a mushrom and feta salad are the four options available to you.

At home, I had some of the ingredients that are in these salads so I decided to make this. Of course, it would've been better with feta but I just added mint leaves to compensate for the other flavour. So this dish consists of rocket, mint leaves and seeded diced tomatoes (cherry tomatoes preferable), the meat and the dressing!

Just like a Grill'd salad only cheaper!

The dressing was 1/3 balsamic vinegar and 2/3 [extra virgin] olive oil. Whisk together and you've got your super amazingly simple but delicious dressing. Toss everything together and wa-lah! Mother had already cooked pieces of lamb for Father so I just stole a few pieces and used them in my salad.

Creme brulee

2010-09-30T23:39:00.000+10:00

It's perceived as an eloquent and sophisticated dish and served in many fine restaurants as dessert. They range from $6 to up to $30 for just a tiny portion of this silky smooth custard with caramelised sugar on the top. I know I always say this but its simple to make. Well, there aren't many ingredients to it.

Before caramelisation

Egg yolks, milk/cream, sugar and vanilla beans. Of course you can have many variations to creme brulee and you can add berries, or zest of orange or lime or lime leaves for flavour.

I've only made it once before so I forgot what the correct measurements were. My hospitality teacher in Year 12 mentioned to me that the base for creme brulee is exactly the same as creme anglaise. Creme anglaise is basically a home made custard but it isn't like the commercially made custard where its thick. It's quite runny but if you double boil the mixture then put it into ramekins and then into a waterbath/bain marie and bake it until just about to set then you should end up with custard!!

Sounds quite tough and maybe it is! I'm tired now so I won't bother explaining how to make it. I will tell you that my creme brulee wasn't perfect. It was very good indeed but I might have double boiled it a little too long so the egg curdled a little. This resulted in a a not super smooth texture - the texture was a teeny bit grainy.

After!

The fun bit is the end. Putting an even layer of sugar (doesn't matter what type of sugar it is) on top and blowing it! Blow torching it I mean. After a second the sugar sets and you've got it hard. A hard crunchy layer of caramelised sugar on top of the smooth and silky cold texture of the custard. That's the beauty of creme brulee.

Fresh pasta

2010-09-21T22:45:00.000+10:00

It's not that difficult to make fresh pasta and only involves a few ingredients and a pasta machine. In saying that, I made it extremely difficult and took about 2-3 hours rolling out fresh pasta. I had a lot of time on my hands as I'm on holidays now with no exams or assessments to do so I'm getting back into cooking. Well at least I'm trying.

size 3 pasta (left) size 4 (right) but both were too thick so I set the setting on 2 - perfect

I was browsing through some books in Myer and one cookbook stated that I should use '00' flour when making pasta because it's tougher, sifted three times and just better for pasta. It also told me to use 6 eggs so I did and it works. Don't need water at all. Actually I cheated and used a little water because the dough was getting a little too dry. Firstly, I had to whisk the eggs till they were smooth before making a well in the centre of the 600g of '00' flour and pouring it.

I like it when my mum helps out when I'm lazy because she usually just takes over especially when she's making Thai food. But when I want to do things my way, it just gets annoying. I love her and everything but seriously, let me be!! She just kills my zone sometimes and ruins everything. I still love her though.

So rolling out the pasta was a real pain in the arse but still lots of fun. I had to coat each freshly cut pasta with plain flour so they don't stick together. I didn't know where to put them after because they just stuck together again when I put them on the bench so I invented this!

Well, I've just put the coat hanger to good use. Instead of just hanging clothes, it now dries pasta! I wiped it and cleaned it before use of course. Mother told me to make spaghetti as well for her because she wanted to make some asian dessert or something.

Fresh pasta does not take long to cook. About a minute and it's perfectly al dente. Cooking times may vary between thickness of pasta. Once the pasta is done it only takes a few minutes to finish. I added extra virgin olive oil (infused with horopito, a new zealand bush spice), lime, canned salmon, basil and cracked pepper. Very simple and very very delicious. Pasta was the highlight as it was really soft and good.

Roasted lamb with rosemary, garlic, mint and couscous stuffing

2010-09-12T23:11:00.000+10:00

Have you ever been told if you don't know something, just ask your butcher? If you need information on your cut of meat, need it de-boned or maybe a temperature for the oven so you can cook it correctly. With this mentality that butchers know everything, I went to ask one while I was buying my piece of lamb. Given the location, what happens next may be excusable but I believe it's unforgivable!

This little asian lady took like 5 minutes to notice me standing there before she served me. Here's how the conversation went:

J: do you have any lamp rump?
L: it's whatever we have over there *points to pre-prepared meat section*
J: could I just grab that leg of lamb please
L: *wraps lamb etc*
J: would you know what temperature to cook this at? (i've never cooked lamb before so I might as well ask cause butchers know everything!!)
L: no, i really have no idea. (stupid b*tch)
J: okay.. *notices bone in lamb* do you think you could debone this for me please?
L: no, i'm not allowed to.
J: *what?! not allowed to?! you flaming galah!*

Anyway, I cooked my piece of lamb at Kim's place. So many food and non-food adventures with her... We deboned it and ended up leaving large pieces of meat on the bone so we saved that for next time. Probably use it to make braised lamb or something.

I split open the lamb and filled it with garlic, mint and rosemary. We then tied it up using twine (cooking string). To start, I seared it on all sides, then transfered to a preheated oven at 160 degrees. As it was my first time cooking lamb, I didn't really know the times but the rule was about 15 minutes for every 500g of lamb. I didn't follow this rule.. When we cut it open it was still quite raw and red inside. We ended up cutting it all up and then frying it. It defeated the whole purpose of roasting. Sigh..

I bought a bottle of Merlot - let's just say our palate hasn't developed enough yet

With the sauce, I deglazed the pan with white wine then added chicken stock, garlic and more rosemary. Reduced it and serve it. Delicious. The lamb itself was really good but it just needed to be roasted a little further.

I made another one the next day making sure I cooked it correctly. I stuffed this one with couscous to give it more flavour cause you usually stuff chicken with like breadcrumbs. Kim suggested using couscous so I did. Pretty good.

Scones

2010-09-11T20:08:00.000+10:00

I was inspired to make this from my Melbourne trip and because Kim made it last night. It's incredibly easy and takes only 15 minutes to cook. So you could quickly make it in the morning and have fresh scones for breakfast! Of course, scones aren't scones without whipped cream and jam.

I don't like whipped cream, especially the ones that come from the can or the ones from Gloria Jeans or something. But I remember the first time I enjoyed cream and that was when Wong made it for her scones a few years back. She added the secret ingredient which isn't going to be secret anymore cause I'm going to tell you- but the secret ingredient is vanilla extract! I know most people already use vanilla extract in their whipped cream but I never knew!

All you need for the scones is about 1 1/2 cups of self raising flour, 50g of butter at ROOM TEMPERATURE, 1 tbs caster sugar and milk. I used buttermilk cause I thought it might make a different but it doesn't. I actually prefer normal milk over butter milk. Buttermilk is really really good with pancakes because it makes it really soft and moist.

Try making these! Really simple and really delicious! Try eating them with tea or coffee as well.

Anyway how to make scones:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
2. Sift flour and sugar in a bowl
3. Rub the butter in the flour mixture with your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs
4. Make a well in the centre and pour the milk in and fold the mixture till it comes together
5. Knead till its all combined and roll out to about 2-3cm thickness.
6. Use a cookie cutter or anything that's round to cut the dough
7. Chuck in the oven for 15 minutes or until hollow and holden
8. Serve with Jam and whipped cream

Melbourne trip!

2010-09-03T22:41:00.000+10:00

It's been a million years since I've last posted but I spent some of those days exploring the streets of Melbourne! It was my first time there so it was really exciting and I absolutely loved it. The culture, people, fashion, alleyways, trams and of course the food!

First things first, we had breakfast. The alleyways of Melbourne were full of cafes and little shops that looked vibrant and full of life. We ate at a little cafe and I ordered this beautiful cheese and tomato panani. A panani is like a sourdough bread and this particular one was so fresh and crunchy it was orgasmic. The texture of the cheesy cheese and crisp toasted panini complimented each other and was amazing. The hashbrown was really good as well. It wasn't oily unlike fast food hashies, but the sound of the crunch when I put it in my mouth was satisfying.

This eggs benedict was eaten by 'insert name'. Although the hollandaise sauce did look plastic, it rich and felt like it melted in your mouth. It went really well with the poached eggs, spinach, bacon and toasted muffin, as would your normal eggs benedict would. But this one was from Melbourne! So it was extra delicious.

'Insert name' had a big breakfast. Awesome scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and hashies but the highlight of this dish for me were the mushrooms. Full of flavour, juicy and super tender I stole some off 'insert name' and put them in my panini. So good.

I ordered a hot chocolate and was expecting something that looked like a coffee but this is what came out. I'm not a sweets person so I only took a few sips and had enough. Too rich, too much syrup and too chocolatey. Oh yeah, I don't like chocolate either (gasp!)

After breakfast we had lunch, obviously not right after but this is what 'insert name' had. I also ordered a risotto but 'insert name' didn't post my one up! I had a cream and mushroom one but both risottos weren't very nice. It was another cafe in an alleyway and this was the first cafe we ate at when we arrived. The risotto was undercooked and hard. Flavours were there but the risotto wasn't good at all.

These burgers are from Grill'd. If you don't know what they are, they're a burger chain that started in Melbourne. There's like a million located there and they're burgers are healthy, fresh and meal sized so they'll fill you up heaps. There are a few that opened up in Sydney like the one on Crown Street. Anyway, this burger is called the Grill'd Bird and Brie. One of my favourite burgers containing cranberry sauce, melted brie cheese, herbed mayo and salad.

This is one is called the Field of Dreams. It doesn't look that appetising here but when you have it in front of you it's a different story. They use a massive mushroom as the pattie and it's sooo good. Another favourite because the mushroom is tender and massive. If you love mushrooms, you'll love this burger.

Chips that are tossed with rocksalt, thyme, rosemary and sage. They're made to order so you'll always get them hot and fresh. Dipping sauces include herbed mayo and sweet chilli mayo. Chips are freaking awesome. Unlike any you've tasted before.

By the way, if you go to Crown St Grill'd on a Monday this month (September) and mention my name you'll get two for one! It's located in Darlinghurst so if you've got time, go and check it out.

Now that's out of the way, here's dessert! There was this scrumptous little tea/cake shop in one of the alleyways (I know, again with the alleyways). They had a whole range of cakes and desserts and it looked so cosy and welcoming. I ordered the apple tart and I usually don't like cakes but this one was not sweet at all. Probably had no sugar and was soo good! It went especially well with their whipped cream. The apples were glazed and the pastry was perfect. Here are more images of the cakes there:

Now these cupcakes weren't part of the tea/cake shop. This was in another alleyway in a vintage looking store called Little Cupcakes. I had the red velvet and again it was sooo good!!! I don't even know what red velvet is but apparently it's chocolate dyed red. The icing on top was a cream cheese one and went perfectly with the cupcake. The textures and tastes complimented each other extraordinarily. Best cupcakes ever!

Me and 'insert name' went to Crown Casino and gambled for the first time! As it was our first time, we didn't know what to do. So we went up to an empty roulette table with a young good looking gentleman standing behind it and asked him how to play. He laughed then realised we were serious and started to explain. We only wasted $10 but it was funny. I put a $5 bet on odd numbers and 'insert name' put a $5 bet on even numbers so there's an almost 50/50 chance we'll get our money back. We did this for two rounds and laughed hysterically while the dealer looked at us weirdly. We ended up losing our money but it was all fun!! There were old ladies who had rolls of $100 notes in their handbags. Ridikkulus!

Anyway, to the icecream. I had cookies and cream. The scoops in Melbourne are massive. One scoop is equivalent to about 2-3 normal scoops here. It was very creamy and yummy.

Last thing: fairy floss. We went to the Sugar Station and at times they give out free fairyfloss. The guy serving them said to 'insert name' who's not in this photo:

Here you go young lady.
For meeee?!!!!!
Yep.
For freeeeee?!!!!
Yep.

Ahaha good times. Well that's all. Melbourne has definitely been my favourite city out of all the places I've been to. Love, love, love Melbourne and will definitely go there again!

Larb Gai

2010-07-24T17:29:00.000+10:00

This is a Thai dish that my mum just taught me how to make two seconds ago. It's a dish that she grew up eating and a dish that is simple to make. I went to the Good Food & Wine Show [and it was amazing] and there was this lady who was doing a demonstration on how to make larb gai. Larb means larb and gai means chicken. Larb doesnt actually mean larb, it's just a name like tom yum.

Anyway, we walked into the demo in the middle of it and the chick was explaining bits and pieces of this dish. She hadn't actually mentioned what she was making because we arrived late but when she mentioned 'rice powder' my mum instantly knew what she was making. The rice powder used in larb gai is one of the many ingredients to complete the taste. Rice powder is basically toasted jasmine rice (till brown) then either grounded or blended using a spice blender to turn into a powder. And there you have it a rice powder. My mum already had a stock in the pantry.

There is minimal cooking in this dish. You will need chicken mince, mint leaves, soy sauce, lemon grass (optional), thai red onions (if you can get your hands on it, if not just normal red onions will suffice), lime leaves, teaspoon of sugar, juice of one lime or to taste. I don't like store bought chicken mince because I think they mince up the whole chicken including the bones. So I buy my own chicken drumsticks or thighs and mince it up myself. Drumsticks are cheap.

The taste is amazing! The lime juice gives it you an exotic hit in the face and the soy sauce balances it out. Thai food is all about balance, ying and yang that sort of thing. I don't know, it just all comes together and it doesn't take really long to make. You're supposed to have it with sticky rice but I just had it with normal rice. My dad also suggested I eat it with pork crackles and that gives it texture and ups its awesomeness.

Larb Gai
500g chicken mince
3 lime leaves, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
an inch of lemon grass, finely sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (try to cut it the same size as the lemongrass)
soy sauce, to taste
1 tsp brown sugar (any sugar will do)
2-3 tsp rice powder
chilli powder, to taste
mint leaves
coriander

1. Cook mince and place in a bowl when juices have evapourated
2. Mix everything together
3. EAT!!

It's that easy!!

Chicken skewers with parsley and chive sauce

2010-07-01T17:45:00.001+10:00

This recipe comes from the master chef magazine and it was rated one of the best six recipes by Matt Preston, one of the judges on Masterchef. It is described as a kids party dish and I can understand why as the skewered chicken would be very appealing to anyone really.

This dish is supposed to be served with tahini sauce but I couldn't find tahini paste anywhere in the supermarket so I just omitted it. I wouldn't know the difference because I don't even know what tahini would taste like. But I know that tahini is part of the middle eastern culture and is the main component of hummus. I guess it’ll taste like hummus then. A shame cause I think it would’ve made the sauce less sour and more appetising.

I didn't have a condiment bowl so the sauce was just vomited over the plate.

This isn't the type of food that I would die for but it certainly is delicious. I used a lot of lemon which probably explains the sour-ness of the dish. Probably isn't ideal to put as much lemon as I did but it was still good. If I had put then main ingredient in the sauce then I think I would’ve really liked it and would’ve made it again one day for a party or something.

I especially loved the spinach and rocket salad to go with it as my favourite type of leaf is rocket and spinach, but not wilted spinach because that's revolting in my opinion. I’ve seen wilted spinach used in a lot of ‘high class’ dishes but maybe it was just the way I made it. I didn’t like the taste at all.

Warm prawns and spinach with segmented oranges

2010-06-17T11:43:00.000+10:00

This recipe is really simple and takes about five minutes to make. It came from the Masterchef magazine and this is just one of the many pages that I post-it noted.

I haven't made something this good in a long time and I'm trying to rediscover my passion for cooking. The more posts you see, the more motivated I am - to write that is. When I open up taste.com.au, I don't know what I'm looking for. There are hundreds of good recipes there but I find trouble finding inspiration from them.

Cookbooks are great but sometimes they're too complicated, I don't have the right utensils or they're just not for me. Sometimes I'm in the mood for taking my time and sometimes I just want a fast, quick and easy meal. This dish is one of them. Kudos to Curtis Stone for publishing these great recipes in this magazine.

Okay, the dressing for this thing was to die for. So good and nothing like I've ever tried before. It consisted of dijon mustard, honey, white wine vinegar (recipe said red wine vinegar but I didn't have any) and a little oil. It just all comes together in your mouth and you can taste every single ingredient you put in that dressing.

I segmented the oranges and decided to use the left over juice to marinate the prawns. I was supposed to use orange zest but I threw away the skin before I realised that I needed it. I guess the juice still worked cause the prawns still tasted pretty awesome. I don't like eating raw onions so I just chucked in the red onions after I seared the prawns off and cooked it a little. This turned out really well cause the onions were cooked in the leftover juices and flavours of the prawns.

Tossing the spinach, red onions and oranges all together with the dressing made a fantastic dish. Top it off with prawns and wa-lah! You've got this amazing dish that tickles all your senses. Sweet, sour, fresh etc. Fresh isn't really a sense but you know what I mean.

Mash potato and cabbage

2010-06-15T19:26:00.000+10:00

I think i got this idea from somewhere but I'm not sure where from. This item epically failed and I regret ever mashing the potatoes. From what I remember, the recipe told me to mash the potatoes and add shredded cabbage after which is what I did however, upon frying these things didn't really turn out nice and crisp.

A better idea was to probably grate the potato then add the cabbage and probably coat it in flour or something so it will be able to fry neatly. This sounds strangely familiar to the zucchini and potato patty thing I made a while ago with that roast chicken with garlic and herb butter.

I think I do have the tendency to leave out garnish nowadays. I don't really think about what the final dish is going to look like until I'm actually up to that stage or unless I see it on the recipe page or something, so please forgive me if it doesn't look as super ass it should be. Perhaps a bit of salad would have made it a lot better.

Moving away from this failed dish, I've got some news! I have found some new inspiration so I will be inspired to cook up a storm once I've finished my exams. I actually bought the new masterchef magazine and there are some really interesting dishes in there. So stay tuned for up coming posts.

Wanna-be Chocolate Cheesecake

2010-05-31T21:31:00.000+10:00

I asked for a challenge from a friend, actually more like a suggestion on what I should make for my next post and I got one. Although it took me a month to make, I finally achieved what I was offered.

Like most of my posts, this was my first time making this thing. The ingredient list seemed simple enough so I attempted it. That's what I decided last month but I didn't have the right utensils (the cheesecake tin) until I noticed a friend had it hiding in her cupboard.

This cheesecake was slathered with what looks like a nice, smooth chocolate coating, but looks can be deceiving. I think I've mentioned that before with my sushi post - looked okay but tasted revolting. Anyway, the 'chocolate' isn't actually chocolate, it's just a browned layer of cheesecake batter. I don't know how it turned out like this or why but it did. I definitely did something wrong but I'm really not sure what on.

Perhaps it was the cream cheese as the recipe told me to use light cream cheese. I just grabbed the first one off the shelf of the supermarket. I thought it'd be a little more smoother and runnier in consistency but it was so thick and cluggy it took a while to get all of the cream cheese out of the jar. And 750ml of creamcheese is a lot! So I've concluded that it was the type of cream cheese I used that failed me today. There must be some kind of cooking cream cheese that I could use for cheesecake. Please let me know if you know of any.

The taste: was nice. The texture wasn't exactly light and fluffy but it was palatable. It was a little thick and a bit too cheesy but at least the biscuit base was nice. I used Arnott's Nice plain biscuits and they're just yummy on their own.

One last thing, while Kim and I was trying to release the cheesecake out from the tin (we left it in the tin overnight in the fridge), it took us extra strength and effort to get it out. We had both our hands pushing it and even after we cut around the edges, we were still pushing until it finally budged.

Kudos to Kim for letting me use her oven and cake tin. I wonder what the next challenge is.

French Toast with Ricotta

2010-05-06T21:53:00.001+10:00

There's something you should know about me if you don't already know. I don't really have a sweet tooth as you could probably tell from me posts. From memory, I have probably posted about one or two posts on desserts out of about eighty so far. I love to cook breakfast in the morning or at night, actually any time of the day really because it satisfies me that I'm making something that will give me energy for the day. It's good to know that I'm taking care of myself.

These were made with my two remaining pieces of bread in the fridge and the ricotta I have left over from making eggs. At first, I thought these were the best french toasts I have ever made because I actually used a medium to low heat to cook them. I realised that even though the heat was perfect and the butter smelt heavenly, the end result turned out a little harder than expected but still nice. It was because the bread was in the fridge for a couple days and also that I forgot to soak the bread in the egg mixture which contained eggs, cream and salt and pepper.

The ricotta made it a little lighter and pleasant to eat, not that eating french toast without it wouldn't be pleasant. I've also learnt a new way to make scrambled eggs that will never result in rubbery textured eggs. I will try and get that up soon. Cheers.

Midnight Poached Eggs

2010-05-01T16:17:00.001+10:00

I received my mark for my mid-semester examination for Economics for Business and I immediately decided at that moment I needed to cook something! Whether it was celebratory or trying to cook my tears away from failure (I'll let you decide), I just needed to do something to calm me down.

Patrick, my good friend from high school, recently told me how he learnt how to poach an egg 'like awesome' and I asked him to share his secrets with me. In hospitality class in Year 12, the teacher told us to crack the egg into the liquid and very gently swirl the water around the egg to help shape it. Instead of swirling after, try swirling the water before you launch your egg into the pan and you'll see the immediate difference.

After doing this, you'll be telling everyone you know how to poach eggs like awesome too. However, when removing the egg from the liquid, use a slotted spoon. I didn't have one at hand so I used an egg flip and there was just too much water on the plate. Oh yeah, when poaching eggs the liquid must be just under simmering point at about 93-95 degrees Celsius without any visible bubbles. So you bring it up to boiling then bring it down.

I didn't really have anything left in my fridge so I just salt and peppered my egg and had it with toast at 11pm on a Tuesday night. Having breakfast the night before means you don't have to have breakfast the morning after.

Caprese Salad

2010-04-09T23:34:00.003+10:00

A salad made up of tomatoes, boccocini, basil and olive oil. It is classified as a salad but I wouldn't really call it a salad - more like a refreshing bite. The tomatoes and basil were super fresh so it tasted really good, a nice fresh hit in the face.

It's extremely easy and cheap to make. All you need are three ingredients and very little knife skills. It's cheap if you buy the ingredients yourself however, I was at the Italian bowl at Newtown today and they sold it for $8! That's an average price for a salad but I made his at home for about $2 a serve.

I liked the Italian bowl because it was cheap and had very quick service. They also have an open kitchen so you can watch their every move and see how clean the benches are. Totally safe, ya.

Massaman curry

2010-04-09T01:37:00.002+10:00

Massaman curry is a popular [thai] dish that was frequently ordered at the thai restaurant I worked at. The restaurant used to pre-make it, divide them into containers for portion control then microwave it for about 5 minutes when ordered. Don’t be alarmed because using the microwave to preheat is completely safe and a valid method of cookery. The taste was still the same and freshness likewise.

I don’t think my version of massaman curry tasted like the original restaurant quality because I didn’t make it from scratch. Instead I used Ayam’s massaman curry – just add meat, potatoes and carrots (optional). Adding coriander at the end as a garnish made it taste a lot fresher and nicer.

I had to blanch my carrots and potatoes first cause I didn’t think that just frying it off would have softened it enough for the finale. Wasn’t too much of a hassle, it just added a little extra to the washing.

One of the problems I faced was when frying the chicken. I put my chicken into the hot fry pan but then the juices from the chicken seemed to cool down the pan. This resulted in the chicken not sizzling thus, me panicking and freaking out. I removed the uncooked chicken from the pan and waited for the pan to heat up again and luckily it worked alright in the end.

As I said earlier, it didn’t taste like an original massaman curry. I think it tasted more like panang chicken (a dish they served at my thai restaurant) which was lighter and thinner in texture. Still a really good dish and still really yummy.

Not-So-Puffed Pastry

2010-03-16T22:12:00.004+11:00

I thought Pampas puff pastry was a trusted brand as my mother always bought it to make her curry puffs. It took me about 10 minutes to find it on the shelves in IGA because they were located on the bottom shelf in one of the freezers. I didn't have much money so I went home with this.

There were only three ingredients needed in today's dish; cherry tomatoes, basil and puffed pastry. Some of these tomatoes looked really good and were really firm and needed to be used as soon as possible. The basil was also super fresh and cheap costing only 80 cents for a large bunch from Cabramatta groceries. They are so much cheaper than Woolworths as they can cost as much as $3 and the quality isn't as great.

I needed a quick and simple dinner and wanted something a little different to the usual rice/noodles. I laid the puff pastry on a sheet of baking paper and folded up the edges. I could already tell that this pastry wasn't going to be as good as it was dry and tough; the edges broke off when I folded it. I then put the shredded the basil and laid the tomatoes like so. Salt and pepper were the only things needed to finish off the preparation.

The deal was finished after about 10 minutes. The edges were starting to brown however the middle was not puffing at all. When I took it out and tried eating it, the pastry wasn't fluffy or light or flakey at all. It was almost biscuit-like but overall it tasted pretty good. I don't think I needed to put that many tomatoes as the one with less tomatoes tasted sufficient. Drizzling it with balsamic vinegar made it tops.

Sausage and eggs and a darn good piece of toast

2010-03-14T22:12:00.004+11:00

The infrequency of my blogging has been absurd. I have been cooking a lot but I just haven't got around to writing about it. Anyway, I've always wanted to eat sausages for breakfast. A sausage and egg muffin from McDonalds doesn't count cause it has to be home cooked.

I came across a wide variety of sausages which also ranged in prices from $4.50/kg up to $16/kg. The really expensive ones were from the butcher and had all sorts of herbs, spices and ingredients in them such as honey and onions (not with that combination). I was so tempted to by them but I'm a first year uni student and all first year uni students are poor due to all the ridiculously priced textbooks that you'll only use for a semester.

I obviously chose the cheapest range from Coles which were pretty good and pretty cheap. They tasted really good and were top quality (I think). Did you know that sausages have a fat to meat ratio of 1:1? Ratio's do vary but generally most sausages contain fat in them. You shouldn't about it because it makes it takes really good and I don't think it's that bad for you.

When cooking sausages, you need to prick them a few times, either with a fork or a knife to allow steam to escape during the cooking process. That relieves the sausage from pressure which will prevent it from exploding. A lot of people don't prick their sausages but I always think it's good practice to do it just to be cautious.

My eggs are always delish but the only problem was that I left it on the plate while I was cooking the sausages so it cooled down a little too big.

Now, this is the best toast I have ever tasted. It was a different shape to what I'm used to (nothing out of the ordinary) and it toasted beautifully. It was crispy, crunchy and had lots of flavour to it as the seeds also toasted. It was so good I had to use it again asap so I made bruschetta. I'll have to check if I've done a post on that yet - if I haven't I'll try and make it again and post it up.

This breakfast probably cost less than $3. I got 8 sausages for $4 and a dozen eggs for $2 and the bread I just found in the fridge. But you could probably make a couple servings from just that.

First day of school

2010-03-01T22:17:00.003+11:00

You have to pack your own lunch for your first day at school, even if it is Uni so I decided that I was going to jam pack a bread with hams. I used Turkish bread but I wanted to use like a foccacia bread baked fresh from the bakery. It's literally impossible to find this type of bread at the Cabramatta bakeries because they've never even heard of it! I asked them if they sell any foccacia breads and they just looked at me. Quickly getting frustrated I said "Any square breads? Big square breads?!" making the square shape with my fingers.

I obviously had no luck so I bought the premade ones in Woolworths - not really fresh or top quality but edible. The guy at the deli when I was choosing my hams got annoyed at me: I chose about 4 different hams and I wouldn't leave him alone. I just chose at random and ended up getting turkey breast, roast pork, triple smoked ham and salami.

On top of these, I added cream cheese, olives, jalepenos and gouda cheese to my sandwich. The one thing I did forget was to add any salad. I was supposed to just add tomato but I even forgot that. Eating it was a delight though. I have leftover meat and bread so I'm going to make some for my second day of school!

Sweet Potato and Bacon Pasta

2010-02-28T18:43:00.003+11:00

I didn't have any intentions on using sweet potato as I didn't even see it while going through my fridge. All I saw was an onion and bacon - no mushrooms nor any other ingredients. I was supposed to go out and buy ingredients to make a pie which I have been meaning to make for a while but I got caught up in other things.

So while I was sweating the onions I noticed a packet of sweet potato sitting on the bench. I acted quickly and cubed one right before my onions started to burn. I added about a teaspoon of paprika to my onions then added the potatoes. It seemed a little bland so I put half a teaspoon of cumin and turmeric which really gave it flavour.

These ingredients aren't usually what you see in pasta but I really didn't want to eat flavourless pasta so I just chucked in whatever I thought matched. In went the bacon after about 5 minutes of frying the potatoes - the bacon turned a yellow colour after everything was tossed together because of the turmeric.

I then added the canned tomatoes and at this point, I didn't see this thing working out. The spices and ingredients seemed like they clashed and were going to make this dish a disaster. But I persevered and tried to make it better with salt, pepper and oregano.

It was so surprising to find that it all worked. I could taste the cumin, turmeric and paprika. The potatoes gave it a slight sweetness and the tomatoes complimented it with its tangy taste. Not a dish you'll see in a restaurant but definitely in my home where accidents make the best dishes.

Meatball Pasta

2010-02-25T22:23:00.004+11:00

I was playing the Battle of the Sexes board game and one of the questions asked: "In cooking terms what does the word shocking mean?" It was shocking that I didn't know what shocking meant! But it actually means plunging the food in cold water or ice water to stop the cooking process. That's called refreshing!!! I've never heard of such a term - shocking.

It was after this question that I realised I needed to get back into the kitchen. Someone give me some new ideas or motivation because I need it!! Anyway, I used what was in my fridge and pantry and made a pasta dish. Canned tomatoes are versatile and are perfect for making your own pasta sauce. I didn't do much to it with this one because my meatballs were the star of this dish.

I used pork for this dish and added oregano, sage, thyme, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs to the mince. I didn't coat the meatballs in breadcrumbs because I didn't want to deep fry them. Mixing the breadcrumbs into the mince helps keep the meatballs more tender and moist. I don't know how but it just does. You can see the difference if you try make it a first time without it, then make it a second time with it and compare the pair.

I firstly sauteed some onions then added some frozen blended chilli which my mum usually prepares for quick and easy use. It was really hot chilli so I only added a tiny bit which was still a little too much according to my guest for tonight. I then added the meatballs till they were almost cooked through and simmered it off with the canned tomatoes and a bayleaf.

It was a shame that my sauce wasn't as good as the meatballs. I thought it had a really nice chilli hit to it though there just wasn't enough of it to cover the pasta. At least it wasn't watery like the ones they serve at Mama's kitchen. They serve you three meatballs with very runny sauce - just ridiculous.

Pomegranate and Bacon Salad

2010-02-17T17:36:00.003+11:00

I had nothing planned the day after Chinese New Years so I was getting eaten up by boredom. I needed to do something so I went to the bank to deposit some money. I just wanted to get that done and go home but there was a crowd, lion dancers and firecrackers. The lion dancers were dancing in front of the bank with the crowd spectating. I guessed that they would take a maximum of fifteen minutes but then they entered the bank! I was then left standing there for another half an hour till the firecrackers went off and everyone finally left.

I just wanted to relax after this forty minute ordeal so I went and took a stroll... not at the park; at the supermarket. I grabbed a basket and wondered what I should make for lunch. This is another dish where I've used something for the first time - pomegranate.

Pomegranate is uberly good for you and has many benefits to your body. Pomegranate juice is number one on the "good for your body" list which means it beats red wine. I occasionally bought that POM juice they sell for $5 but nothing beats the freshness of the actual pomegranate it self.

It was difficult to prepare so I sought the internet for some advice. The first thing you do is top and tail it then breaking it up so you get all the seeds out. Careful though as these can stain so make sure you wear an apron or something. Some people say that you can't eat the seeds; just bite on them for the juice but I had no trouble eating the whole thing. I'd say they're like the white watermelon seeds - they're edible and won't cause you any harm.

Looks can be deceiving

Anyway, pomegranates are great with salads. They add a whole new level of freshness and give it that extra kick. I'd prefer that you use duck or something like that instead of bacon because I tried that this morning. The left over duck was sitting in the fridge so I put it to good use using the cos lettuce, cherry tomato, pomegranate, avocado and cheese base.

I also made my own dressing - just like the mayonnaise in one of my other posts but this time I added a good pinch of salt and pepper and a little bit of oregano and lime juice. Surprisingly the first time I tried making this salad, it took me a good forty minutes to complete. It was breaking a part the pomegranate, washing and drying the cos lettuce leaves, chopping the cherry tomatoes in half, peeling the avocado and the list goes on.