Grilled Squid Salad

I had a hankering for squid but seldom eat it because its a pain to clean and prepare. But when I saw these huge squid (is there a 's' for plural?) last week in the frozen section, I knew I just had to have it for Christmas week.

So here it is, served lightly in a fresh salad with a refreshing dressing.

Ingredients
4 large squid, cleaned. Separate the head and tentacles from the body. Slice open the pouch and score both sides so that it doesn't curl up upon cooking
Salad greens (whatever you like)

Dressing
1 tbsp special soya sauce (slightly sweet)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp honey
1 to 2 bird's eye chilli or chilli padi, depending on how spicy you like it. Slice it up into slivers and remove the seeds.

Method
1) Grill the squid on a hot gridle. It'll take about 1 to 2 mins per side.
2) Assemble the salad ingredients and add the squid. You may want to slice it up.
3) Make the dressing and drizzle over the salad. Serve immediately.

[Anna Olson] Lemon Thyme Shortbread

As mentioned, I don't do big cooking projects so this looks like a really easy cookie recipe to try. From the show "Sugar".

Ingredients

Shortbread
* 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped (or use 2.5 tsp dried thyme)
* 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 2 tbsp lemon zest
* 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
* 1 egg
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* milk, for brushing

Infused Honey
* 1 cup honey
* 1 bunch fresh thyme, washed
* 1 cup old (white) cheddar cheese
* 1 pear, optional

Method

Shortbread

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chopped thyme.
2. Cream butter, sugar, zest and ginger until fluffy. Stir in egg and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients and blend until dough comes together.
3. Divide dough in half and shape into logs. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or freeze).
4. Preheat oven to 325 F.
5. Unwrap dough and slice into thin wafers and place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush cookies with milk and bake for 12-15 minutes, just until edges turn golden.

Infused Honey

1. Heat honey with thyme over low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Let sit off the heat for an hour to allow flavours to infuse further. Strain honey.

To Assemble

1. Place nugget of cheddar cheese (about 2 oz) on a plate. Drizzle honey over cheese and place a couple shortbreads on the plate. Accent with a few slices of pear.

SEA Curry Chicken

I don't quite know how to classify this curry. Is it Nonya? It's certainly not true blue Indian or Malay, and I put in a lot of Thai touches, inspired by watching an old episode of 'Chef at Home' last night. But who cares...it tastes good! Altho probably not very healthy since I emptied a whole packet of coconut cream in, rather than my usual half packet!

I'm under no illusions that this is a 'quick and simple' recipe, because it takes 30 mins to 1 hr to pound with a pastel and mortar (like Dad would say, what a good Nonya girl would do...except I'm not Nonya and neither is he ) and another 45 mins to 1 hour to simmer. Unlike my 'glory' days when I used to churn out yam cake, chocolate chip biscuits and other 'complicated' recipes, nowadays I'm more a 'quick and easy' kinda girl, so this is quite a mammoth cooking 'project' for me.

Ingredients
1 chicken, chopped into pieces
2 potatoes
Marinade
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp ground tumeric
2 tsp ground cumin
For pounding
1 medium red onion (or 3 shallots)
3 cloves of garlic
1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced
8 dried red chillies, rehydrated in hot water and deseeded
3 tbsp dried shrimp
1 tbsp belachan
Into the pot
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp fish sauce
4 lemon grass, crushed to release the oils but kept whole to facilitate easy removal before serving
2 tbsp curry leaves
2 tbsp kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp sugar
Dash of pepper
Salt to taste (if necessary)
2 cups water
1 packet coconut milk

Method
1) Marinate the chicken pieces in light soya, tumeric and 1 tsp cumin. Set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour.
2) In a pestle and mortar, grind up (in order) the rehydrated chill, dried shrimp, ginger, onion, garlic and lastly belachan. You can also use a food processor but its not the Nonya way and the oils aren't released so its not as fragrant.
3) Dry fry the curry powder and set aside.
4) Heat up 2 tbsp oil. It may seem like a lot by the rempah will "suck" it up. Stir fry until dry. Add 1 cup of water and fry again until it becomes a paste.
5) Add in the chicken pieces and stir fry until well coated. Add the 2nd cup of water.
6) Add the curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, potatoes, sugar and curry powder. Bring to a boil, cover and bring down to a simmer. Let it simmer away for 1/2 hour.
7) Check on it periodically and stir. Around 35 mins, add in the fish sauce and coconut milk. Bring it back to a gentle boil. Switch off the heat after 45 mins. If you have the time to let it sit and reheat it, it will thicken further.
8) Serve with freshly steamed jasmine rice or chunky french loaf.

Egg Foo Yong

I'm not entirely sure this is a Singapore or Chinese invention since I see it more in ang mo Chinese restaurants, but it's tasty, is a 2-minute stir fry, and goes with my 1/2 hour preparation required for a quick weekday meal.

Ingredients
1 packet of bean sprouts, washed (about 2 or 3 big handfuls)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup frozen prawns, thawed
1 tsp garlic
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
Dash of sesame seed oil
1/2 tsp sugar
Dash of pepper

Method
1) I use a non-stick pan so I don't even use oil. Toss in the garlic and fry briefly until fragrant but before it gets burnt.
2) Add in the eggs and swirl around the pan until you get a pancake. Immediately once the sides are dry, use the spatula to the scoop the sides inwards and keep doing so until its scrambled and mostly dry but still a bit on the runny side.
3) Toss in the tou gey and quickly add all the rest of the ingredients.
4) Briefly stir fry for 1 minute and serve immediately. It goes best with steamed rice.

Apple Crumble

I had a hardened packet of light muscovado sugar and didn't know what to do with it. It was rock hard and I wasn't going to break my spoon chipping away at it. I remember reading a tip somewhere that if you put in a slice of apple, it will soften up the sugar. Well, no harm trying. I left the slice of apple there for about 6 hours and it really softened up the sugar! However, the downside is that part of the apple juice seeped out and made it soggy. I was afraid it would go mouldy so I transferred the dry bits into another container. But what was I supposed to do with the soggy melted sugar?

Just happened that I bought Granny Smiths. Brown sugar, apples and cinnamon = apple crumble!

So here's the recipe, also thanks to something learnt off the Internet, the proper proportions for crumble = 3 parts flour : 2 parts butter : 1 part sugar.

Ingredients
4 cooking apples (Bramleys or Granny Smiths), peeled. Quarter them, remove the core and then thinly slice each quarter, about 4 or 5 slices each.
60g muscovado sugar, packed tightly
180g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
120g butter, softened at room temperature and cut into cubes
60g caster sugar (or damerara for the crunch if you have it)
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup raisins

Method
1) In a mixer, add the flour, caster sugar and butter and blitz until a fine crumble. Set aside in the fridge to rest.

2) Add the muscovado sugar to the apple slices, together with the lemon juice, cinnamon powder, 2 tbsp flour, vanilla extract, zest and lemon juice. Mix well and add the raisins, before mixing well again. Be careful not to break up the apple slices.

3) Layer the apple slices in a pie dish.

4) Pour on the crumble and pinch it together so that it resembles biscuit crumbs rather than fine powder.

5) Preheat the oven. Bake at 180 deg C for 40 mins or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling. Be careful because it can go from golden to burnt very fast! Serve with ice cream or whipping cream.

Make your own yoghurt

Found this fantastic article from today's Sunday Times. Reproduced here.

Let the bacteria grow - Introduce some bacteria into warm milk and make yogurt. It's simple and satisfying

Sunday Times, The (Singapore) - October 19, 2008

Author: Cynthia Low

When someone suggested I try making my own yogurt, I was rather sceptical. Why do something that seemed so complicated when it is so easy and cheap to buy from a supermarket?

But then again, I thought, why not give it a try?

So I knuckled down to some research, scouring the many cookbooks I have. I soon discovered there are very few recipes for making it from scratch. Most food writers simply assume you will buy a carton to use in their recipes.

Next stop is the Internet, where I found a whole host of chat about making yogurt but also a second revelation - you don't really need a recipe, the process is so simple.

Basically, the idea is to introduce some bacteria into warm milk, which then ferments under controlled temperature and turns into yogurt.

Humans have been making cultured milk products for around 4,000 years - so long that it is not clear exactly where yogurt, as we know it, originated. I read that the discovery of how to make it may have been accidental, after wild bacteria living on animal skin bags fermented the milk being carried in them. But, somehow, I wish I had not found that out.

The basic ingredients needed are fresh milk and what is called a 'starter' (that is the bacteria), plus, for best results, a cooking thermometer.

Plain yogurt from the supermarket is ideal to use as a starter; just check the label to make sure that it says acidophilus or living culture .

Yes, it sounds strange to buy yogurt to make yogurt, but one small pot is all that is needed to make much more. After that, you simply save a little of your own homemade yogurt to 'start' the next batch.

Making it reminded me of school science classes, with saucepans, funnel, thermometer and sterilised jars, but it turned out to be quite fun. But I also discovered that although the process is simple, it takes time. Plus, some care is needed in terms of temperature control. But apart from those two trouble spots, it was not difficult.

One thing to bear in mind is that the milk turns into yogurt because bacteria from the starter is allowed to 'grow' during a few hours of constant warmth. This makes it imperative to keep hands, utensils and jars clean to avoid accidentally introducing any other bacteria into the finished product.

I found the quickest way to sterilise the jars is to fill them with boiling water and let them stand for about 10 minutes before putting the milk mixture inside to ferment.

After making several batches, I have found that there is no need to worry too much about exact proportions. The yogurt always turns out tasting good.

I also had fun experimenting with flavours, lightly poaching fruit such as strawberries or cranberries and putting a layer in the bottom of the sterilised jar before pouring the fresh yogurt mixture on top.

Another alternative is to serve plain yogurt swirled with cinnamon or fruit syrup, or, for a sweeter treat, have honey or maple syrup drizzled over the finished yogurt pots.

So what did I learn? First, it is very easy; all that is needed is a basic recipe. You can experiment from there. Second, it tastes great. I got the best results and a thicker yogurt by using whole milk. Low-fat milk can be used, although the result tastes slightly more sour.

There are various claims made about the curative properties of yogurt and for sure it is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium and B group vitamins.

But one thing is certain, it is good to eat by itself from breakfast to dinner or to enhance the flavour of many other dishes from curries to cakes.

Plus, there is something quite satisfying about making your own, minus the preservatives, thickeners, sugars and other additives that many store-bought yogurts have.

If you prefer a foolproof method, there are yogurt-making machines available in the shops. These make keeping the maturing yogurt at constant warmth much easier.

But doing it the long way gives you a real sense of achievement.

Make it yourself: Yogurt

Sunday Times, The (Singapore) - October 19, 2008

INGREDIENTS

2 litres of milk (increase or decrease amount as desired)

1 small pot of purchased yogurt (make sure it is labelled acidophilus or living culture )

EQUIPMENT

1 medium-sized pot with solid base that holds at least 2 litres

1 cooking thermometer

A glass or crockery container for the yogurt that holds at least the same quantity as the amount of milk you use (I prefer a number of individual pots, so that the finished product can be served and eaten straight from them)

Plastic wrap to cover the containers if they do not have lids

An insulated picnic cooler or a padded thermal container that will allow the maturing yogurt to retain its warmth

METHOD

1. Thoroughly clean all the equipment. Sterilise the containers by washing them well, then pouring in boiling water and leaving to stand for around 10 minutes.

2. Heat the milk in the pot, stirring all the time until it reaches a temperature of between 75 and 80 deg C. Do not allow it to go past 85 deg C or the milk may burn and the yogurt will have a scorched taste.

3. Turn off the heat and allow the milk to cool, stirring occasionally until it reaches 40 deg C.

4. Stir the purchased yogurt 'starter' well, then add about 4 tbsp of it to the pot of warm milk. Continue to stir for a couple of minutes until it is completely dissolved in the milk.

5. Tip out the boiling water from the containers and pour the warm yogurt mixture into them, using a funnel if you have one.

6. Stack the filled jars into the insulated container or bag.

7. The warmth inside the container needs to be maintained and stable throughout the process, so try to avoid opening it until the end of the process. One way to keep things warm inside is to place a jar of hot water among the yogurt pots. Avoid jostling or moving the container, as the yogurt needs to be still to firm up.

8. The fermentation takes around six hours

9. Cap or cover the pots and put them in the fridge. The yogurt will keep for about two weeks.

If you decide to use one of these yogurts as a starter for the next batch, do it within five days. For best results, buy another small pot of yogurt to replace the homemade starter after every four to five batches. If your yogurt ends up as lumpy curds and watery whey, you can turn failure into success by straining it. You will have made a passable sour cream.

Southern Comfort

I finally opened my bottle of Southern Comfort. Interesting facts, thanks to Wiki

Southern Comfort is a fruit, spice, and whiskey flavored liqueur produced since 1874. It is made from a blend of whiskey, peach, orange, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon flavors. The Brown-Forman Corporation owns the Southern Comfort brand.

Southern Comfort is available as 100 US proof (50% alcohol by volume), 76 US proof (38% alcohol by volume), 70 US proof (35% alcohol by volume) and 42 US proof (21% alcohol by volume). In Australia and New Zealand, it is only available as 60 proof. It is often erroneously thought to be bourbon whiskey based—it is actually neutral grain spirits-based,^[1] and the brown look comes from caramel coloring.^[2] Southern Comfort Reserve, however, is a blend of Southern Comfort and 6-year-old bourbon and is 80 proof.

And then I found an even more interesting link from http://www.southerncomfort.com/ (go to the Ready, Set, Go out, Drinks and not only can u find some interesting cocktail concoctions but u can even download the recipe book! Did u know for instance that you can have SC and coffee? I inadvertently added lime juice to mine and was surprised to see that it is actually one of the cocktails listed!

To the spirit of New Orleans!

Peach Bitters

I have a bottle of Peach Schnapps in my fridge. I have a bottle of Angostura Bitters in my cupboard (which according to my SIL, the giver, is the *only* bitters worth having with lemon lime of the "lemon lime and bitters") Have never known what to do with either, esp the Schnapps which is awfully sweet. Well now I do. The addition of Bitters neutralises the Schnapps and vice versa, and the Bitters adds a slight fragrance and kick.

Method
Add 3 drops Angostura Bitters to 1 shot Peach Schnapps and mix well. If it comes out of a fridge, no need to add ice, otherwise use the plastic ice cubes in order not to dilute the taste when the ice melts.

Delish after dinner drink in place of a dessert wine!

Nigella Express: Chicken Mushroom & Bacon Pot Pie

From episode "Instant Calmer" and Food Network

Even the word pie is comforting. But then, it would be hard to deny the very real lure of pastry, especially when - as here - you know you're going to dunk it in gravied juices till its gorgeous lightness is deliciously, soggily heavy. I concede, however, that making and rolling out your own pastry is not necessarily the speediest option, so I use bought, all-butter-, ready-rolled puff pastry and feel fine about it. I make the pie even easier, by browning the chicken and making the sauce all in one go. And a gold-crusted, welcoming pie for 2 in half an hour is not bad going.
3 rashers streaky bacon, cut or scissored into 1-inch strips
1 teaspoon garlic infused oil
2 cups chestnut mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
8 ounces chicken thigh fillets cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cups hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon Marsala
1 (13-ounce) 9 by 16-inch sheet all-butter ready-rolled puff pastry
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fry the bacon strips in the oil until beginning to crisp, then add the sliced mushrooms and soften them in the pan with the bacon.
Turn the chicken strips in the flour and thyme (you could toss them about in a freezer bag), and then melt the butter in the pan before adding the floury chicken and all the flour left in the bag. Stir around with the bacon and mushrooms until the chicken begins to color.
Pour in the hot stock and Marsala, stirring to form a sauce and let this bubble away for about 5 minutes.
Make a pastry rim for each of your pots for the pies, by this I mean an approximately 1/2-inch strip curled around the top of the pots. Dampen the edges to make them stick.
Cut a circle bigger than the top of each pie-pot for the lid, and then divide the chicken filling between the two.
Dampen the edges again and then pop on the top of each pie sealing the edges with your fingers or the underneath of the prongs of a fork.
Cook the pies for about 20 minutes turning them around half way through cooking. Once cooked, they should puff up magnificently

Double pleasures pasta

Inspired by a dish from the *the* HK Cafe (or was it Kim Gary?), I had the original but found it waaaaaaay too salty. Here is my rendition, made quite simply and quickly from leftovers and canned food! Not too salty! Talk about innovativeness eh? :P

Ingredients (feeds 2)
1 cup of cooked fusilli
1/2 cup standard white sauce
1/2 cup chicken curry (I use Amoy brand canned curry and 1 tiny tin makes about 1/2 a cup)
1/4 cup cheese, shaved

Method
1) Cook the cup of fusilli according to instructions. Drain and set aside.
2) In a casserole dish, pour the pasta into the bottom and pat down.
3) Pour the curry on one half, and the white sauce on the other half.
4) Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and ensure that the top is covered with cheese.
5) Bake at 200 deg C for 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nigella Feasts: Chocolate Cheesecake

Recorded from watching the episode

Ingredients

Base
1 1/3 cup (125g digestive biscuits) graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp cocoa
1/2 stick butter (50-60 g)

Filling
2 packets of Philly (500g) which must be at room temperature in order to get the satiny smoothness
3/4 cup (150g) superfine or caster sugar
1 tbsp custard powder (this can be substituted with 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla)
3 eggs
3 yolks
2/3 cup (150ml) sour cream
1 tsp cocoa dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water from a kettle
175g (6 oz) melted bittersweet chocolate, let it stand so that it isn't too hot

Topping
3/4 bar bittersweet chocolate, melted

Method
1) Put the digestive biscuits into a freezer bag. Use a roller pin to bash up the biscuits into find crumbs.
2) Add the crumbs to a mixer and give it a quick whirl to ensure no larger crumbs remain.
3) Add the cocoa and whirl again to ensure its evenly distributed. Do the same with the butter. Whirl until the crumbs look like damp clumpy sand.
4) Pour it into the cake tin and use your knuckles to form the base. Press down with your hands because the heat from your hands helps the butter to melt and adhere. Stash in the freezer for a few minutes just to chill it.
5) In a fresh clean mixing bowl, add the cheese and whirl slightly.
6) Add the sugar and custard powder. Crack in the eggs and add the egg yolks. Pour in the sour cream. Add in the cocoa solution. Give everything a whirl. It should be quite runny which makes it smooth.
7) Fold the melted chocolate into the cheesecake mixture, slowly and patiently until evenly blended.
8) Retrieve the base from the freezer. Wrap the exterior of the cake tin with cling film, covered on top by aluminum foil. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the base.
9) Place tin into a roasting tin. Pour a kettle of recently boiled water into the roasting tin so that the water level comes halfway up the cheesecake tin. The cake tin may wobble a bit due to the buoyancy of the flim.
10) Bake in a 350 deg F (180 deg C) oven for 45 mins to 1 hour. It is ready when it has just set. It should set properly at the sides and just wobble in the centre.
11) Once ready, remove carefully from cake tin. Drizzle the topping on top of the cheesecake.

Original Hainanese Chicken Rice

This is a recipe from Straits Times Sunday Plus, and its supposed to be more authentically Hainanese.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 1kg, cleaned with skin removed from neck and rear end
2 tbs chinese cooking wine
3/4 tsp salt
4 cups rice, 750g, rinsed and drained well
1 tbs sesame seed oil
8 slices ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
12 fresh red chillis
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cucumber, washed and sliced

Method
1) Steam the chicken in a steamer for about 20 minutes till cooked. Retain the chicken stock which is formed when the meat juices seep into the water used for steaming.
2) When the chicken has cooled slightly, rub chinese cooking wine and 1/4 tsp of salt on both the outside and inside.
3) Allow the chicken to cool completely before cutting it up into serving slices. Set aside.
4) Add the sesame seed oil, four slices of ginger to a heated wok.
5) Stir fry the rice for around 12 minutes, until it turns translucent and the moisture has evaporated from it.
6) Transfer the rice to a rice cooker. Add 5 cups of the reserved chicken stock, 1/4 tsp of salt and 2 cloves of garlic, and cook the rice.
7) Blend the chillies with 4 slices of ginger and a clove of garlic.
8) To the chilli paste, stir in sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt.
9) To serve the chicken slices with the cucumber and chilli sauce on the side.

Nigella Feasts: Garlic Roast Potatoes

3 pounds maincrop potatoes
1/3 cup regular olive oil
1 head garlic
Kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Wash and dry the potatoes, but don't bother to peel them, and cut them into about 3/4-inch dice. Toss in a large oven tray and pour over the oil, smulching around with your hands to mix well. Separate the head of garlic into cloves adding them to the tray, and roast for about 1 hour, turning once or twice during that time, until crispy and golden but still soft on the inside. When they're done, remove to a large plate and sprinkle with salt.

Nigella Feasts: One Pan Sage & Onion & Sausage

1 large onion or 2 small onions
1/2 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
2 teaspoons English mustard
1 tablespoon dried sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon
1 (4-pound) chicken, jointed into 10 pieces
12 sausages
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and put into a freezer bag with the oil, mustard, dried sage, a good grinding of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cut lemon in half, squeeze juice into bag, and then cut the halves into eighths and add them. Squidge everything around to mix (the mustard needs help to combine) and then add the chicken pieces. Leave to marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade.
Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting tin skin side up with the marinade, including all the bits and pieces, and tuck the sausages around them. Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages and then put the tin into the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the sausages over half way through to color them evenly.
Arrange the chicken and sausages on a large platter.

Nigella Express: Buttermilk Roast Chicken

12 chicken drumsticks (approximately 3 pounds total weight)
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, bruised and skins removed
1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns
1 tablespoon Maldon salt, sea salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Place the chicken drumsticks in a large freezer bag, and add the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of oil.
Add the bruised garlic cloves to the bag with the crushed peppercorns and salt.
Sprinkle in the ground cumin and finally add the maple syrup, and then squish everything in the freezer bag around to mix the marinade and coat the chicken.
Leave the buttermilk marinated chicken in the fridge ideally overnight or out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take the chicken pieces out of the bag shaking off the excess marinade, and then arrange them in a roasting tin lined with foil.
Drizzle over the 2 remaining tablespoons of oil, and then roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until brown, even scorched in parts, and juicily cooked through.

Roast chicken

I'm suddenly very into roast chicken, but can't figure out the 'trick' behind them. I used to think 200 deg C for 20 mins has been a rather fullproof cooking temp for most things, even for chicken, but somehow it hasn't been working so well recently.

Came across 2 recipes,

Sage & Onion Roast Chicken and Buttermilk Roast Chickenand although recipes call for 220 deg C, and the portion sizes are more or less similar (1 whole chicken or 10 pieces) yet the timing varies greatly. In fact, the 1st recipe is for 10 pieces and takes 1.25 hours, but the 2nd recipe is for 12 pieces yet takes only 1/2 hour.

Well hopefully with more experimentation, I'll get the hang of things. I'm always on the look out for fast and rapid roast chicken recipes cos hey, who's really got the time to sit and wait for a chicken to roast, eh?

Bread and butter pudding

This is a good ole' British dish with a Canadian twist, thanks to Michael Smith, altho he calls it something else. The idea is the same, a custard mixture with buttered bread and baked. Here's my slightly altered recipe, which works out to be a simple Saturday breakfast, simply because I'm too lazy to do more work!

Ingredients
6 slices of bread (he uses crusty bread)
Butter
2 tsp cinnamon sugar
4 eggs
Approx 1/2 cup of milk

Method
1) Lightly toast the bread and cut it up into cubes. Lay half it at the bottom of a baking dish and dollop bits of butter on top. Dust on a thin layer on cinnamon sugar. (At this point if you like, you can add dried fruit e.g. chopped apricots, raisins or even chopped nuts. U can also spread jam on)
2) Beat the 4 eggs and add approximately an equal amount of milk. I eyeball-ed it, so I can't honestly say how much, but I'm mindful not to add too much milk otherwise the eggs won't set. Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar and whisk in well.
3) Pour half of the milk and egg mixture, and leave it to stand, approx 5 to 10 mins.
4) Lay on the next layer of bread and pour on the remainder of the milk and egg mixture. Sprinkle on cinnamon sugar.
5) Let it sit for another 5 minutes, and then use your palms and press down the bread so that it absorbs the mixture.
6) Bake at 200 deg C for 20 mins, until the top is nicely golden brown. The pudding would have magically souffled.
7) Serve with honey or maple syrup.

Wine appreciation demystified

More tips from my favourite chef, Michael Smith. Its interesting how he always demystifies stuff and make them seem to assessible and simple. Wine appreciation has always been a very stiff upper lip thing with an elitist vocab of its own. Even though I've taken an introductory appreciation course, however, its still scary for me. However Michael Smith makes it so simple.

1) Whites
Lighter - Sauvignon Blanc (dry)
- Riesling (fruity)
Bigger flavours - Chardonnay (full bodied)

2) Reds
Lighter - Merlot
Medium body - Zinfandel
Big red powerful flavours - Shiraz
- Pinot noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon

Makes me want to go out and grab a bottle or 2!

Apples

Learnt another interesting tip from my favourite Chef at Home. There are different varieties of apples, about 50 to be exact and yet we always stick to the tried and true. But just like potatoes, different "breeds" do well for different ways of cooking them.

Eating - crisp and good balance of sweet and sour e.g. Bramley, Fuji
Pureed - soft, sweet and sour, e.g. Macintosh
Baking - holds shape well e.g Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Gala

And the best accompliments?

All time favourite cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, brown sugar and butter.

Nigella's Chocolate Caramel Crispy Cakes

I currently have some mars bars sitting around and I don't fancy eating them neat. I've convinced myself that if I make them into some other confectionary, that it will be less fattening. Anyhow, this is from an old episode of Nigella Feasts which I dug up and hope to try soon!

Ingredients (makes 40)
4 smallish (total 50 g or 2 oz) chocolate candy bars (recommended: Mars Bars or Milky Way)
1/2 stick (50g or 2 oz) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups (70g) crunchy sweetened corn cereal (recommended: Cornflakes)
Special equipment: approximately 40 mini muffin papers

Method
1) Break the candy bars into bits and drop them into a saucepan. Add the butter and melt, over lowish heat, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. When everything is melted (the nougat-like layer takes the longest to go), tip in the cereal and turn them, with your rubber spatula, in the chocolate mixture until they are all pretty well coated. 2) Line mini muffin tin with the mini muffin papers. Fill the mini muffin papers with the mixture and put in the refrigerator, on a small sheet pan or tray, for at least 1 hour.

Nigella Express: Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Taken off telly: (photo is my own)

Ingredients (Makes 64 squares)
350g good dark chocoloate
400g condensed milk (1 can)
2 tbsp butter
150g pistaschio

Method
1) Break the dark chocolate into a pan and pour the condensed milk on top.
2) Add the butter and turn on the stove.
3) Pour the pistaschio into a freezer bag and bash away into tiny chunks.
4) Stir to combine the fudge and then add the nuts, then stir again.
5) Pour into a tin foil tray, and spread out the mixture evenly.
6) When cool, put on the lid and place in the fridge to set.
7) Once it has set, remove from the tin foil tray and cut into cubes, approx an inch by an inch because it is quite rich.

Liquid spices

Been doing a mass Chef at Home marathon (they show it every night at 12am so I tape it and watch it all on the weekend). I've always been intrigued by alcohol, because I don't have much experience in terms of tasting them and thus mixing and matching flavours and so far, there have been some liquid disasters

Chef Michael Smith however calls them 'liquid spices' which aside from being used to mix cocktails, can also be used to complement food flavours. Here is his classification:

Sweet
Usually for desserts: rum, liquers like coffee, mint, cream, fruit, liquorice etc

Savoury
whisky - goes well with ribs
vodka - goes well with tomatoes and tomato-based sauces
scotch - goes well with the earthy flavours of beans

Spicy
Tequila

And on another note, I got my cocktail shaker, the professional kind! Its pretty cool, with plastic ice cubes, and even comes with markings on the side as a guide for making 6 different cocktails! Hazy days ahead! Salut!

Nigella Express: Cherry Cheesecake

From Nigella Express
Ingredients

125g digestive biscuits
75g soft butter
300g cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
60g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250ml double cream
1 x 284g jar St Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit Black Cherry Spread


Preparation

1. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until beginning to turn to crumbs, then add the butter and whiz again to make the mixture clump.
2. Press this mixture into a 20cm springform tin; press a little up the sides to form a slight ridge.
3. Beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.
4. Lightly whip the double cream, and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
6. When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, unmould it and spread the black cherry over the top.

Jamie at Home 2: Butternut Squash Cupcakes

Just completed watching the new Jamie at Home season 2 on squashes and pumpkins. I've always wondered what to do with squashes and pumpkins. Here's a recipe that seems really easy, and I like it mostly because it's all done in a food processor. Here's literally my copying off the episode as Jamie does performs it on screen.

Ingredients (makes 24)
400g butternut squash, skin and all (yay! don't even had to remove it, which gave me a big headache last time!), smallish cubed
400g brown sugar
300g plain flour
4 eggs
pinch of salt
2 heaped tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Handful of walnuts
175ml virgin olive oil or sunflower oil

Method
1) Chop up the squash into smallish cubes, the skin can be kept on. Put it into the processor and blitz it up as fine as possible.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients into the processsor and blitz up until everything is well combined.
3) Pour into cupcake paper lined muffin tins. Fill it 3/4 full.
4) Bake at180 deg C for 20 mins.

Get a knife, insert it in and if it comes out clean, it's ready.

I didn't bother with the 2nd part of this receipe which is frosted topping, which I've never been too keen on.

Nigella Express: Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

(Picture is my own, sans the smoked salmon)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Free Range Eggs
• 125ml Whole Milk
• 2 Spring Onions (Finely Sliced)
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 60g Instant Mashed Potatoes (Mix)
• 40g Plain Flour
• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice

METHOD

• In a jug, whisk the eggs, milk, finely sliced spring onions and olive oil together.
• Stir in the instant mashed potato mix, plain flour, baking powder and the lemon juice.
• Heat a flat griddle and drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the mixture onto the hot griddle.
• Cook for about 30 seconds a side, or until golden-brown and firm enough at the sides to flip.

For The Topping

INGREDIENTS

• 300g Smoked Salmon
• Small Bunch Fresh Dill

METHOD

• Once you have made the pancakes, and they've cooled a little, tear off strips of smoked salmon and arrange the small slices on each pancake.
• Decorate each salmon-topped pancake with a tiny feather of dill.

Nigella Express: Rocky Road Crunch Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 125 Soft Unsalted Butter
• 300g Best Quality Dark Chocolate (Broken Into Pieces)
• 3 tablespoons Golden Syrup
• 200g Rich Tea Biscuits
• 100g Mini Marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons Icing Sugar (To Dust)

METHOD

• Heat the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat, scoop out about 125ml/4½fl oz of the melted mixture and set aside in a bowl.
• Place the biscuits into a plastic freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin until some have turned to crumbs but there are still pieces of biscuit remaining.
• Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, then add the marshmallows.
• Tip the mixture into a 24cm/9in square baking tin and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
• Pour over the reserved 125ml/4½fl oz of the melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
• Refrigerate for about two hours or overnight.
• To serve, cut into 24 fingers and dust with icing sugar.

Nigella Express: Rapid Ragu

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons Garlic Oil
• 125g Cubed Pancetta
• 500g Minced Lamb
• 75g Caramelised Onions (From A Jar)
• 80ml Marsala (Wine)
• 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
• 75g Green Lentils
• 125ml Water
• 50g Grated Red Leicester Cheese (Or Cheddar, To Serve, Optional)

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and fry the pancetta until beginning to turn crisp and golden-brown.
• Add the minced lamb, breaking it up with a fork, and stir until browned.
• Add the caramelised onions, marsala, tomatoes, lentils and water and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• To serve, divide the ragù between four serving bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese, if using.

Nigella Express: Chicken Alla Cacciatora

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon Garlic Oil
• 75g Pancetta (Cubes)
• 6 Spring Onions (Finely Sliced)
• 1 teaspoon Finely Chopped Rosemary
• 500g Boneless Chicken Thighs (Cut Into Bite-Sized Pieces)
• ½ teaspoon Celery Salt
• 125ml White Wine
• 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 Bay Leaves
• ½ teaspoon Sugar
• 400g Can Cannellini Beans (Rinsed And Drained, Optional)

METHOD

• Heat the garlic oil in a pan and fry the pancetta, spring onions and chopped rosemary for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle in the celery salt and stir well.
• Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer, then add the tomatoes, bay leaves and sugar. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the drained cannellini beans, if using, and simmer until the beans are warmed through and the chicken is completely cooked through.
• To serve, divide among four serving dishes.

Nigella Express: Margarita Ice Cream

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 125ml Lime Juice
• 2 tablespoons Tequila
• 3 tablespoons Orange Liqueur Or Triple Sec
• 150g Icing Sugar
• 500ml Double Cream

METHOD

• Pour the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur or triple sec into a bowl and stir in the icing sugar until it dissolves.
• Add the cream and whisk until the mixture is thick and smooth, but not stiff.
• Spoon into an airtight container and place into the freezer to freeze overnight. This ice cream doesn't need to be taken out to soften before serving, as it won't freeze too hard and melts quickly.

Steamed Dill and Garlic Salmon

I've just stocked up on my dried herbs, and decided to try out a decidedly British herb - dill weed. It's good with fish and chicken, according to the description. I've only known it to be used with fish. This is a new variation of on an old favourite of mine.
Ingredients2 salmon steaks
1 tsp dill
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp vodka
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 cup of water
1 baby bok choy, chopped
Method1) Marinate fish.
2) In a cassarole dish, line with aluminum foil. Lay on a bed of chopped bok choy and lay the fish on top. Pour in the remainder of the marinade, and 1/2 cup of water.
3) Bake at 200 deg for 10-15 mins until fish is cooked.
4) Unwrap and serve.

Chicken Ratatouille

Ratatouille is actually a French peasant dish, made famous by the animated feature of the same name. It is a stew of summer vegetables such as courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, aubergine, onion and garlic. This version is inspired by the show "Chef at Home", with chef Michael Smith, but of course with me, I liked my meat, so hence the addition of chicken. Obviously not traditional anymore, I decided to add a bit of other 'stew' favours to it to make an all-in-one dish. This is also the first time I bring out my pressure cooker, since I have a fear of it exploding in my face. However, I really did want the meat to fall off the bone, and for the vegs to be so meltingly soft, but obviously I don't want to spend a very long time stewing over a slow fire.

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 large chicken thighs
1 carrot
1 aubergine
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 handfull barley
1 handfull soya beans
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1) Soak the soya beans overnight to soften, and throw away the soaking water the next day. Change to a fresh cup of water and soak for another hour.
2) Dice the carrot, aubergine, peppers and onion.
3) Throw everything into the pot - onion, garlic, chicken, vegs, herbs, can of tomatoes, barley, soyabeans, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour in the cup of water used to soak the soya beans
4) Snap on the lid and follow pressure cooker instructions - mine took only 1/2 hour and everything was done, meat falling off bone and vegs meltingly soft. I scraped off the meat and discarded the bones.
5) To serve, I tossed in crusty bread to soak up the juices. The bread puffed up wonderfully and was a delightful.

You could also cook the conventional method -
1) brown the chicken, remove
2) fry up the aromatics and vegs,
3) add back the chicken, pour in the can of tomatoes
4) add the herbs and soaking water
5) bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and low simmer for 2 hrs until everything is soft.

Garlic Chicken Fried Rice

This has always been a nemesis of mine - I could never quite get it right. Either it comes out too soggy, or not eggy enough, or the rice comes out plain. But whatever it is, it comes out without 'wok hei'.
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet however, I got some ang mo tried-and-tested recipes and voila! We have a winner. This is what I did:
Ingredients (serves 2)1 cup rice
1 chicken breast, cubed
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup mixed vegetables
2 eggs
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce
Oil for frying

Method
1) Marinate chicken with 1 tbsp soya sauce and pepper. Leave to marinate for at least 15 mins.
2) Usually all fried rice recipes call for cold leftover rice, but I've never got any hanging around in my fridge, thanks to the wonders of the microwave. I wondered it if would make a difference - being cold or not. Anyway I had freshly cooked rice, but left it out until it cooled down a lot, so that when you stir it, it doesn't break up so easily and become mush. The whole point of fried rice is really to have dry, separated whole grains of rice.
3) Heat up the pan or wok and fry the chicken. Once 3/4 cooked, add the mixed veg and fry for a minute. Lastly, add the eggs and scramble. Dish everything out and set aside.
4) Either wash the pan, or wipe the pan clean because you don't want any burnt bits in your rice.
5) Add oil again, and heat it up until the pan is very hot. Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the rice and stir fry. Dash in the fish sauce, soya sauce and sesame seed oil. I find it helps to use 2 spatulas to ensure everything is stir fried evenly.
6) Once the rice is warmed thru, add back the scrambled ingredients. I find it's easy to add a bit of ingredients, mix well before adding more.
7) Serve immediately with la cheow yao, parsley or spring onion.
I still didn't achieve wok hei and its probably because I used a non-stick pan. However at least for once in my life, the rice grains were well-separated and not soggy!