Snippets of 2007.

As this year comes swiftly to a close- i can’t believe that in a couple of hours, it’ll be a brand new year!- i thought i would just do up a post, for sake of my horrendous memory, to summarize the year that it was.

So much happened over the course of the year, where do i even begin? Let’s see..

The year 2007 started on a good note as i gave life to this space (how’s that for obvious- always a good start). I also kicked started one of the most stressful years of my life by undertaking the Honours program and in turn, stopped doing my relationship long distance. Food wise, i flirted with Nonya, Indian, Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese and Sichuan cuisine, had the best sticky date pudding ever and bought 5.5 kg of Lindt dark chocolate.

I also celebrated GT’s and my 2nd anniversary with burgers and chocolate mousse, tasted the best chili chocolate, started my thesis and learnt to appreciate pickled ginger and katsu don (Japanese curry on rice).

The year was also made memorable as i conquered my fear of yeast, celebrated my 21st, got a kick ass ice cream maker and laid my hands on the best ice cream book ever. I also chose to give up chocolate for Lent this year and marked the end of the season by celebrating the goodness of chocolate. The year unfortunately did not go by without a tinge of sadness as i mourned the loss of my dog.

That aside, i couldn’t get enough of my chargrill pan, made the best pumpkin soup and satisfied my green tea obsession with matcha ice cream and shortbread. I also discovered that i don’t quite fancy pumpkin in anything else and a fantastic way to use up those egg whites. In addition, i redeemed myself from that lasagna espisode.

In keeping with my belief that there’s nothing good food can’t make better, i attempted to drown my sorrows in a tub of ice cream when i was certain i had flunked a paper spectacularly. Well, i didn’t end up failing but i did make one of best dark chocolate ice cream i had ever had. Still on ice cream, i paid tribute to the ‘King of Fruits’ in one of the best possible ways and swooned over freshly churned coffee ice cream that’s second to none. I also made ice cream from a recipe off an advertisement and never quite looked back

Along the way, i discovered the perfect base for thin crusted pizza, gave deep frying a shot, got hooked (no pun intended ) on my current favourite song and added one of the best cookbooks to my ever growing collection. I also embraced all things asian and failed at yet another attempt on those damned macarons.

Always welcoming the opportunity to break out of routine for a bit, Vietnam, Sydney and Bangkok were our choices of destination, immersing ourselves in shopping and a lot of good food.

As we entered the last quarter of the year, i submitted my thesis much to my relief, caught the Phantom of the Opera and graduated unofficially. I also managed to sneak a bit of cooking and baking before the year drew to a close- you have to try that eggnog brulee tart if you’re looking for something new next Christmas- i’ve made it thrice now.

So that about sums it up- what a year it was. And i have no doubt 2008 will be just as, if not more, memorable.

Here’s wishing you guys a fantastic new year. May the coming year be full of joy, peace and treasured moments with your loved ones.

Bringing Back Ol’ School

I was just thinking the other day- what defines Christmas to you? For me, it has to be the annual Midnight mass my family attends to usher in the day Jesus was born. Year after year, more often than not, we run late and as a result of that, end up crammed up right at the end of the church- right smacked next to the overflowing carpark alongside with fifty or so other latecomers. Impatient as we all get from the lack of air circulation, crying infants and restless kids, that all disappears the instant the choir starts to sing the Christmas carols. Attending mass at my church in Singapore has always held a special place in my heart no doubt, especially since the church i attended in Melbourne was so different, as was the parishioners- it really is the one place that always feels like home. But its when the whole congregation joins in the carols in one voice, singing with such gusto, lies the magic of Christmas for me.

When my siblings and i were much younger, Christmas eve was all that we (okay, maybe just i) looked forward to. For it was then that we knew we were gonna have possibly the best night of the year. It would often start with the frantic hunt for appropriate presents for the various cousins, then the ever so enjoyable gift wrapping. That was, fortunately, where the hard work ended and the fun begin.

When the night of Christmas eve fell, we would arrive at my aunt’s place, with bags full of presents in tow to add on to the mountain of presents already laid under the Christmas eve. Stuffing our faces, playing with the cousins and occasionally bullying the poor little parrot in the hallway were the only things on our agenda, till the clock struck twelve. The second midnight arrived, everyone would drop everything they were doing, in anticipation of what we knew was sure to come. And with bated breath, we waited. True enough, our wait always paid off-Santa Claus would walk out of one of the bedrooms, hohoho-ing his way, and occasionally stopping to soothe a little one that burst into tears at the sight of him, to the Christmas tree. It was understood that no one except Santa Claus was allowed to touch the presents, and he would pick up the presents and give them out to whoever they were labelled for, until each and every one of the presents disappeared from under the Christmas tree.

That tradition soon ended when my siblings and i turned into teenagers and my cousins, working adults. Instead, my family started a tradition of our own- hosting a huge year end party that saw most of every one we knew at our place.

This year however, we broke that tradition again, and went back to our old one- heading to my aunt’s place the night of Christmas eve. And i knew just the perfect cake for this occasion; it was huge enough for a dinner party, classy in an ol’school kind of way and most importantly, very chocolatey- how could anyone resist?

This cake was a real team effort i tell you, this one. I had so much fun doing it up, much like the birthday cake i made not too long ago. Frosting the cake saw me and my little sister sitting in the living, chatting about everything under the sun, with her dolloping the frosting from the bowl to the top of the cake and me spreading the frosting around. Halfway through, we weren’t too sure if there was enough frosting to go around- it was a horrifying moment i tell you but thankfully, there was just enough. Even my dad jumped in by contributing flowers from his garden for that extra touch. I absolutely adore the look of this cake.

Well, as it turns out, we didn’t get a chance to dig in the cake (yeah there seems to be a pattern going on doesn’t it?) but from what the little crumbs of the cake and swips of frosting i tasted, i imagined it must have been pretty yum.

All right, that’s enough chatting on my part for now. I’ve got a hectic couple of days coming up so if i don’t get around to posting till after the new year so here’s wishing you guys a happy new year with better days ahead and a wonderful 9 remaining days of Christmas.

Tis the season to be jolly, indeed

Butter Cake with Whipped Chocolate Icing [adapted from donna hay's issue 16]

Ingredients
500g butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 eggs
4 cups plain flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
5 egg whites
500g cold butter, chopped
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250g dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cup cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Line the base of two 8 inch square baking pans and set aside.
2. Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, beating with an electric mixter till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, two at a time, combining well after each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture and fold in till just combine. Divide mixture evenly between both pans and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, making sure to rotate pans halfway through, till a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
3. To make chocolate frosting Whisk egg whites and sugar in a medium bowl over simmering water till sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and keep whisking till mixture is cool. Place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixture and beat, adding the butter a little at a time till mixture is light and creamy. Stir through vanilla, chocolate and cocoa.
4. To assemble, cut each cake into two horizontally to get four layers. Spread one cake with some chocolate frosting, top with another cake, spreading more chocolate frosting and keep going till all four cakes are piled on top of each other. Frost the top and sides of the cakes with remaining frosting. Serves 12

Happy Holidays!

Hey there

Thanks for coming by Don’t you just love the festive season? It’s our one excuse each year to spend lots of money, eat and drink to our heart’s content and just be merry Have a great christmas!

xxoo
Laureen

Spreading the Christmas Cheer.

I remember my first taste of eggnog all too clearly.

It was the year 2001, the very year my parents had, much to my delight, decided that we would join my best friend’s family in their annual trip to Whistler. The snow, the quaint little cabins we stayed in, the fireplace, the many (but never enough) hours spent on the slopes, it sure made for one hell of a trip. And who could forget that we left my brother by the mountains and he had to trek through the snow and a huge field, freezing his ass off, to get back to the cabin? But what truly stuck in my mind from that amazing trip was that first (and last) time my tastebuds became acquainted with eggnog.

We had just picked up a carton of egg nog on our way back to the cabins, and i was, as always, at my best friend’s cabin. Now i had heard of egg nog and although it didn’t sound particularly appetitizing what with the raw egg yolks in it, i jumped at the chance to get my virgin taste of it. After all, you had to try everything at least once right?

So there i stood, in the kitchen of the cabin, slowly bringing the tall glass close to my face, swirling it around to get a whiff of this unfamiliar, frothy beverage i was going to down. Comforted by its sweet aroma, my fifteen year old mind reasoned that something that creamy and sweet smelling couldn’t be that bad.

Oh, my sweet, sweet, naive mind- judging a drink by its smell- what was i thinking? To say i disliked it, no offence to all you egg nog lovers out there, would be a understatement. It tasted exactly like you would expect it to- raw custard. I love custard- ice cream, creme caramel, creme brulee.. mmm. But uncooked custard? Meh, i’ll give that a pass. Egg nog definitely felt into the list of acquired taste for me, much like durians, blue cheeses and Guinness Stout.

So understandably, i was a little apprehensive when i first came across this Eggnog Brulee tart recipe. But i really couldn’t resist the little Christmas twist- what better to bring to the first of the Christmas parties we were attending? Plus it gave me the perfect excuse to finally justify getting the very extravagant blowtorch- how could anyone say no to making that extra effort in spreading the Christmas spirit

Thankfully, the tart was really well received at the party. Less than an hour after we arrived, the hostess came to tell me everyone wanted to know who i was, and place orders for the festive little number. I really was too embarrassed by all the attention to do anything but smile sheepishly. But it was really nice knowing it went down so well

I highly doubt this is hardly the last time i’ll be making this tart this festive season

Eggnog Brulee Tart [adapted from delicious' December 2007/January 2008 issue]

Ingredients
1/4 cup sultanas
2 tbsp brown sugar
80ml rum
80ml brandy
90g icing sugar
60g almonds
140g unsalted butter, chopped
8 egg yolks, at room temperature
150ml milk
150ml pouring cream
1 cinnamon quill
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of ground mixed spice
100g caster sugar, plus 1/4 cup to dust

1. Combine sultanas, brown sugar, 2 tbsp each of rum and brandy in a small bowl. Leave to soak overnight.
2. Place icing sugar and almonds in a food processor and blizz till almonds are finely ground. Combine almond mixture, flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingers till mixture resembles sand. Add 2 egg yolks and mix till just combined. Press into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Roll pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper till 4mm thick then use to line a 10 inch loose-bottomed tart pan. Freeze tart for 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 200C. Pricking the base of the tart with a fork, bake tart base for about 10 minutes till light golden. Reduce oven to 160C and, leaving the oven door slightly ajar, bake tart for another 10 minutes till base is dry. Mix 1 egg yolk with a few drops of water and brush the insides of the tart throughly. Let cool, and reduce oven to 140C.
5. Bring milk, cream, cinnamon quill, vanilla, mixed spice and the remaining 2 tbsp each of rum and brandy to just below boiling point in a pan over medium heat. Whisk the remaining 5 egg yolks in a medium bowl with caster sugar. Gradually pour heated mixture into bowl, whisking quickly. Scatter sultanas over base of the tart and pour custard, straining over a fine sieve, into the tart case. Bake for about 40 minutes till just set. Cool and chill. To serve, dust the tart with extra sugar and caramelize with a kitchen blowtorch.