Almost Instant Noodles.

Salads and sandwiches aside, this is probably the easiest and tastiest dinners i've ever made.

I have to admit that the thoughts of adding both tomato and chili sauce didn't quite appeal to me. I mean, you either like tomato sauce or chili sauce. Maybe i'm just bias because i hate tomatoes with a passion; the only things i make an exception for are tomato paste and salsa. Tomato sauce is..just okay. I don't particularly like it but i don't hate it either. So now that we're on the same page about where i stand when tomatoes and/or tomato sauce are concerned (and how incredibly spolit i am), you've to have an inkling of how good this dish was if it contained tomato sauce and i'm raving about it.


The addition of both sauces, with both delighting such different tastes of the palate, resulted in a really unusual flavour that tastes nothing really like either sauce. It has such a unique taste that isn't particularly sweet, sour, salty, and it definitely isn't bitter, but really is quite pleasing to the palate.

I know, i know. I'm being incredibly vague but i really can't find any adjectives to do this sauce justice. I suspect part of the reason is because we go to this place in Melbourne, Pacific House, all the time for their duck, one of the best i've ever tasted, and chili crab noodles, definitely the best and this tastes a lot like the sauce in crab noodles. So i'm at a loss for words as to how to describe it because every spoonful i take, all my taste buds tells my brain is "crab noodles sauce". So much help that is.

Despite my best efforts to describe this really drool worthy sauce, it really isn't quite coming along so as one last attempt, i will say that this definitely won't be the last time i'll be making this dish :)

Chili Tomato Noodles [adapted from Australian Table's June '07 issue]


Ingredients
450g packet fresh egg noodles (or any kind you prefer, really)
2 tbsp oil
300g packet firm marinated tofu, cut into small cubes
300g prawns, shelled, deveined and chopped into bite size
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 bulb of garlic, finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 large potato, cut into small cubes and boiled till tender
2 eggs, lightly beaten
A handful of dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water till tender and sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 tbsp chili sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce

1. Prepare noodles according to directions on packet. Drain and set aside.
2. Add oil to a large frying pan. Stir fry onion and garlic for a couple of minutes till onions are soft. Add prawns and cook till prawns turn pink. Add potato, mushrooms, green onions and tofu. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
3. Push vegetables aside and add eggs. Allow to set slightly before stirring up vegetables. Add sauces and noodles. Stir fry for a couple more minutes till well coated and heated through. Serves 6
   

Playing Favourites Part I.

Twice a year, my mundane, cruising along life routine comes to a sudden halt and a new routine is set altogether. Gone are the days that i idle away, catching up on my precious tv shows, leisurely flipping through food mags and cookbooks deciding what to cook for the week and do just enough work to get the assignments done. Instead, my days now, largely from the moment i get out of bed till i collapse back in, are spent poring over heaps of notes, packed with information i frantically try to drill into my brain. Yes, twice a year, my mundane, cruising along life routine comes to a sudden halt, in preparation for the dreaded exams.

During this period, sadly not only does my lifestyle suffer, even the pleasure i get out of eating is largely diminished. I eat only to feed my brain the much needed nutrients in hopes of boosting my intensive study sessions. So what keeps me going during this crazily stressful period you ask? Coffee, chocolate and Ugly Betty of course :) Well the third item's irrelevant to this post but it really is such a lighthearted, feel good show. For the forty minutes each episode runs for, exams don't exist, my world is at peace.


The chopping of nuts and chocolate aside, these were a breeze to make. Within fifteen minutes of gathering the ingredients on the counter top, these slices were in the oven doing their thing. It really just requires a lot of stirring and before you know it, everything just comes together and they're ready to go.

I'm just crazy over almonds now, so naturally they went into these instead of walnuts, as the original recipe suggested. As usual, i halved the amount of sugar. Play around with that if you want these sweet. Also, they're meant to have a layer of chocolate icing, which i suppose only serves to make them more delectable, if that's even possible. I was lazy, well you know me, and did away with it but will include it in the recipe below.

Chocolate Walnut Fudge Slices [taken from Everyday Food's Winter '07 issue]


Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chopped almonds, or any other nut you prefer
250g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
125g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sour cream

Icing
2 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
30g butter, chopped
1-2 tbsp hot water

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 18x28 cm pan with foil and set aside.
2. Sift flours and cocoa together in a large bowl. Stir in nuts and make a well in the center.
3. Combine chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Microwave on medium for 15 seconds each time, making sure to give them a stir each time, till ingredients are melted and smooth. Let cool for a bit.
4. Add sugar, eggs and sour cream into chocolate mixture. Mix well. Add to flour mixture and stir to combine.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan.
6. To make icing Sift icing sugar and cocoa together in a bowl. Add butter and water. Beat till smooth, adding a little more water if required. Spread over slices and cut slices into squares to serve. Makes about 32
   

Winter Warmer.

Autumn is, hands down, my favourite season. There's just something so alluring about kicking up the fallen dry, brown leaves gathered on the streets. It really is when cities are at the height of their beauty, as the temperatures start to dip and the leaves on trees start to turn gorgeous shades of gold and brown, if you ask me. Perhaps i watched too many movies when i was younger, but i've always likened autumn to the city gradually coming to a standstill, preparing for the cold, harsh winter. The daylight hours slowly but surely shorter, the skies cloudy with no sight of the sun. Autumn has to be the most romantic season.

While i have no doubts about my love of autumn, or aversion to summer for that matter, i'm not sure about my feelings towards winter and how quickly Melbourne is descending into the clutches of the dark, wet winter.

I love walking in the crisp, cold air, watching people huddle close as they hurry along the streets, all decked out in their winter gear, eager to get out of the cold. But i'm not so crazy about how early the sun starts setting, throwing the whole city into darkness even before the clock strikes seven. With all the darkness and its long hours, comes a sense of gloominess. And all i want to do is sit in front of the heater with a cup of steaming tea or soup.

So soup i made and i was one happy camper that night, listening to the howling winds and rumbling thunder in the distance, glad i was safe indoors.

This was some nice hearty soup. Full of flavour and chocked full of different textures from the sweet corn, chunky potatoes and crispy bacon. I think what made this soup so good was the contrasts of flavours with the slightly salty bacon and sweet corn, as well as the hint of rosemary. It would have been perfect with a few slices of a crusty french loaf.

Just a quick note about the original recipe, like most recipes for soup, it calls for a 1/4 cup of thin cream to be stirred in just before serving. I omitted it, as i always do as i could do without the extra calories and fat. Besides, the soup didn't seem to be missing out on much without it. But as always, feel free to add it in if you prefer :)

Corn Chowder [adapted from Australian Good Taste's May '07 issue]


Ingredients
4 corncobs, husks and silk removed
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 brown onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken stock
200g chat potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm pieces
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 bacon rashers, rind removed, cut into 1 cm pieces and fried till crispy

1. Use a sharp knife and cut along the length of each corncob to remove kernels (this should give you about 4 cups of corn).
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking till soft and fragrant. Add 2 cups of corn, stirring constantly till corn is tender. Add 2 cup of chicken stock, bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
3. Using a food processor, process chicken stock mixture till smooth and return to saucepan.
   
4. Add potatoes, rosemary and the remaining corn and chicken stock to the pan. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium, cooking for 15 minutes till potatoes are tender.
   
5. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon pieces and serve. Serves 4
   

Happy Foods.

I'm in such a good mood today i feel like rambling on to someone and where better to do it than here? :)


Seeing this in my mailbox put a huge grin on my face. With this and the Epicurious section of The Age, how can anyone not love Tuesdays?


I would so kill for a plate of this now, more specifically the one sold by a prata store just off Jalan Eunos. The pratas are huge, crispy on the edges. Best of all, they come freshly made and piping hot. Not the healthiest thing to have in the wee hours of the morning or any other time of the day for that matter but with food this good, who really care?


The Chinatown in Singapore has this little street that they close off to traffic once the sun sets and a whole row of street stalls open for business, adding to all the hustle and bustle of the area. I've had some of the best food i've eaten in Singapore there, like the wanton mee (thin yellow noodles served with dumplings and thinly sliced roast pork), carrot cake and tang yuan (a local dessert that's essentially glutinous rice balls filled with either black sesame seed paste or peanut paste. It's usually served in a bowl of soy milk or light syrup), after nights of salsa dancing at one of the little bars there. This is the kueh pie ti (a little crispy shell filled with basically the same ingredient as the popiah; shredded radish, and usually topped with a prawn). You've to eat it really quick though or the shell will turn soggy and your dining experience with these little babies ruined.


Speaking of popiahs, this is hands down one of the best i've ever had. Found only in Coronation Plaza (on Upper Bukit Timah Road), it not only is a real sensation to the taste buds (i swear it's addictive), but also brings back fond memories of the many afternoons we spent there after a long day at school years ago.


Oreos, my favourite thing to have with a cup of tea. Yes, i only eat the biscuits so being the sweetheart that he is, GT splits each sandwiched Oreo into two and generously piles up the half without the cream for me :)


Hmm what else.. oh yes. This is probably the best brought mud cake i've ever had, courtesy of a little store in the Queen Victoria Market. It was dense, chocolately and everything a mud cake should be. I remember the day my sister brought it home, it didn't even last half an hour in my house. Even my brother who's neither a cake nor a chocolate person had a couple of slices himself :)


This is sambal sting ray from one of the Holland Drive food stalls. The sambal, blended with dried prawns, is just in a class of its own. Of course it doesn't hurt that they were really generous with it. Lavished with a good squeeze of lime, this dish is simply to die for.


Ooh this was some hairy crabs that GT's parents brought home. Crabs are really one of the best things to eat ever. And of course, you get to add to the whole orgasmic feasting experience by using your fingers to gingerly pry open every bit of the crab to seek out the soft, sweet flesh. Oh and who could forget the roes. That has to be one of the best delicacies ever, although your nutritionist will probably have a very different opinion.


Last but not least, this was one of the last meals i had before i left Singapore in February. Good old thick kopitiam coffee with a couple slices of kaya toast at the Botanic Gardens. I didn't touch the soft boiled eggs. Much as i love eggs, it doesn't extend to them being semi cooked.

So there you have it. My general idea of a feast in Singapore. I know, i take a lot of pictures of my food but hey, i have no shame in that. My last meal, and it would have to be a all day one, would definitely include all the above (just not the magazine of course) and then some. Just writing about the dishes is making me salivate. Now i'm wishing i was hopping on a plane back to Singapore in July. Oh well, good things are worth waiting for i guess.

On a totally random note, not that this post hasn't been random enough, it occured to me the other day, while i don't eat when i'm sad/annoyed/pissed/ anything but okay, there is only one food i eat when i'm happy- pizza! So i guess it really explains why the only times i ever eat pizzas are when GT's around :)

So now i'm curious, what are some of your happy food?

Cleaning Out The Fridge Part I

I'm honestly quite an impulsive person. My biggest case in point? Taking off to Australia, having applied to, and got accepted by, the first school that was pitched to me within the span of one month despite not knowing the first thing about Melbourne or my new school for that matter. But that's another story for another day.

Thankfully, i'm not much like that when it comes to shopping, well grocery shopping more specifically. I'm one of those people who go to the supermarket and Victoria Market with a neatly written shopping list. Of course a whole host of other stuff not on those lists for all their horrifying nutritional values never made it to the list, do end up in my basket inevitably. But i generally like to have a rough idea of what i'm gonna do with the item before i chuck it in.

So how did i end up with a pantry to clean out? Since my mum's last visit, the fridge has been crammed full with stuff. After weeks of having to pile items up onto each other to make space for the new ones and hardly having any room for anything else in the fridge or freezer for that matter, i decided to use up whatever i could in a good old reliable stir fry (what else did you expect?).


So here's my good and easy method of doing it. Start off by marinating some minced beef or whatever you prefer generously with five star powder, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook noodles of your choice (i used sweet potato noodles) according to directions, drain and set aside. Fry half a bulb of minced garlic, half a brown onion finely sliced, one red chili chopped finely, with the seeds removed if you prefer it non spicy for a bit till they smell fragnant. Throw in a couple handful of thinly sliced carrots. Now, here comes my favourite part. Make a little space in the centre of the pan, pushing everything aside, and crack two lightly whisked eggs in. I love watching the eggs cook right smacked in the middle of all the ingredients. Allow to cook for a bit before you start stirring around. Now, add your noodles and any sauces you have lying around. I used light soy sauce, a dash of dark soy sauce and a generous amount of kecap manis which is essentially sweet sauce, the same saucy sinful goodness used to make Indomee. Garnish with chopped green onions. Pile on a plate while piping hot and tuck in!

Viola, there you go. I had chopped all the ingredients up the night before, so within 15 minutes of getting home from class today, i was having this for lunch :)

Stir fries really are a classic example of a low effort, high reward dish. Everything and anything goes in it, you really can't beat that.

So that's it for this round of cleaning out the fridge (i feel like such a tv presentator wannabe. pardon all my dramatization, i'm blaming the lack of sleep). I'll get down to making a carrot cake with the half of bag of carrots and slabs of cream cheese i have left some time in the next two weeks when i find a moment to breathe with all this studying i have to do.

Meanwhile, have a great week ahead and here's hoping the weekend will arrive a little sooner.

Too Hot To Handle.

Eggs have to be one of the most versatile and most unassuming ingredients around. Be it scrambled eggs, hard-boiled, soft-boiled or just the plain old sunny side up, eggs are more than happy to play the role of the supporting actors or step up and shine as the main star of the dish. Plus there is a whole host of things you could make with eggs; cakes, meringues, macaroons, dressings, sandwiches, the list just goes on. They really are just one of those ingredients that are hard to avoid but lucky for us, just as hard to dislike as well.

I first had the authentic version of this dish at a friend's place. It was Hari Raya Puasa and her mum lovingly came down to Melbourne, as she does every year without fail, to break the fasting period by cooking up a storm and opening their house to her friends for two days. Yes, so for two whole days, kids would just be wandering in and out of the house from morning till night, polishing off anything that was in sight. But anyway, back to the dish, what made it so damned good was the sambal, or red chili paste, her mum used. I swear i could have polished off the entire dish with plain rice all by myself but of course, I had to spare a thought for all the other hungry students and practiced some self restraint. So in typical me fashion, while it was all i could think about for days, i duly forgot about this amazing dish after a while till i came across this recipe.

What a ride this dish took me and my poor taste buds on. Following the ingredients list of the recipe closely resulted in a really spicy, as in so unbearably spicy that it killed the taste of the everything else, dish with such heat even half a tablespoon of sugar couldn't tame. So i took the ball and ran with it, using up ingredients i had in the fridge to help with the heat and flavour. After a lot of taste testing, i must have eaten half my meal over the stove, the dish turned out fairy decent, tasting more of curry with just a hint of heat. Who knew that just a tablespoon of chili paste could be so lethal.

Just as a side note, the original recipe called for the eggs to be fried whole till golden and crisp but i didn't bother. Feel free to do so though and play around with the proportion of ingredients to suit your taste.

Sambal Eggs [loosely adapted from Super Food Ideas' April '06 issue]


Ingredients
6 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cm piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 tbsp sambal oelek*
2 bay leaves
1 cup water
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp tomato paste

1. Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil, stirring constantly and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Peel and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion, ginger and garlic and fry till onions are soft. Add tomato, sambal oelek, sugar, curry powder and tomato paste. Mix well and add bay leaves and water. Bring to boil, then allow to simmer till sauce thickens.
   
3. Add eggs to chili sauce. Cook till heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve over rice. Serves 2

* a paste made from red chillies mashed and mixed with salt and vinegar or tamarind.

Low Fat, No Fad.

I don't know about you but i'm personally not a fan of desserts that claim to be low fat. Far too many years [i know, it took me a long time to learn] of trying to find a win-win situation with low fat desserts have taught me, if anything, that there is a positive relationship between the numbers of calories and how good it'll taste. Besides, like my mum always taught us, if you're gonna get wet, you might as well go swimming. So i either indulge in my dessert and work it off later [or my case, as late as late can get] or not indulge at all.

I must admit that the only reason why this recipe got a second glance from me was solely because it called for two egg whites and as it was, i was looking to use up the six egg whites sitting in my fridge.


I'm really pleased with how these little cakes turn out. Of course i had my reservations about them, even while they were going into the oven i admit. But they turned out beautifully. The cakes were moist and crumbly with just a hint of sweetness from the orange marmalade. I'm glad i went with my instinct and halved the amount of sugar the original recipe called for or it might have been too sweet for my liking.

As a added bonus, these little babies are really pleasing to the eye. I just adore its bright yellow hue, tinged with orange peel.

In short, yet another great way to use up those egg whites. You sure won't see me desperately using them up in stir fry again :)

Mini Marmalade Cakes [adapted from Super Food Idea's June 2007 issue]


Ingredients
6 tbsp orange marmalade [feel free to use jam]
100g butter, softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 egg whites
1 egg
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour
1/4 cup skim milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Generously grease 4 3/4 cup capacity ramekins and line the bases with 1 round of baking paper. Evenly divide marmalade amongst ramekins and spread over base.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and vanilla till pale and creamy. Lightly whisk egg whites and egg together, before adding, in 2 batches, into sugar mixture, making sure to combine well after each addition.
   
3. Sift flours together in a separate bowl, returning husks to bowl. Alternate between adding flour mixture and milk into sugar mixture, adding half of each each time, mixing well.
4. Evenly divide batter among prepared ramekins, smoothing their surfaces. Bake for about 25 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Using the back of a spoon, push the tops of the cakes down so they'll sit flat on serving plate. Carefully run a knife around the edges of each cake to loosen, then turn out on serving plates. Serves 4
   

Heaven In A Bowl.

When we were much younger, my siblings and i were part of the Haagen Dazs Junior Members Club. Being part of this little club entitled us to a little laminated cream colour card, no bigger than a credit card, that had the outline of a scoop of ice cream on a cone under the words 'My Favourite Flavour'. Without hesitation, i coloured mine a shade of brown. In my early years of formation, i quickly learnt that chocolate was my favourite flavour ever and stuck fiercely by it. Besides other than cookies and cream and the bubblegum ice cream we enjoyed on our trips to Perth, the only other flavours i knew were chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, so my choices were pretty limited. How uncomplicated my world of ice cream was then.


Although i now know of and have tried a whole range of flavours, chocolate still remains a firm favourite, alongside green tea, coffee and peppermint chocolate. Funny isn't it, how the older i become, the more trouble i seem to have in making choices :)

So the instant i laid eyes on the gorgeous image of perfectly round, melting scoops of chocolate ice cream in The Perfect Scoop, i knew it was instantly in the top five to try recipes from the book.


Right in the beginning of the book, David goes through the basic steps of making the custard base of the ice cream. I read this about twice before starting on making the ice cream. What i really like besides his precise instructions that makes you feel like he's right there in the kitchen with you, guiding you through it, are the step-by-step pictures. They sure made me feel a lot more confident, knowing there was something to visually compare my progress to.

This really didn't disappoint. In fact, it blew me away with how good it was. It was everything i had imagined it would be and so much more. It was really intensely chocolatey, in a really good way, due to the addition of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate, plus the Nutella i had swirled in as a afterthought. Its texture was just perfect; smooth and not too creamy. This really was heaven in a scoop.

I savoured each spoonful slowly and appreciatively, with my tastebuds firing off neuron signals to my brain telling it how good it was ever so frequently. Now i truly understand why they say nothing beats homemade ice cream. Indeed, i won't be shopping in the ice cream aisle of my supermarket anytime soon :)

Nutella Chocolate Ice Cream [adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop]


Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp cocoa powder
140g semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup Nutella

1. Warm 1 cup of cream with cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to combine. Bring to boil, then let simmer for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate in, stirring till smooth. Add the remaining cup of cream and stir well. Pour into a large bowl, sitting bowl in an iced water bath and set aside.
2. Warm milk, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks together. Gradually pour warmed milk mixture into egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into saucepan.
3. Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly with a wooden spoon, making sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan, till mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and immediately pour custard through a strainer into the chocolate mixture. Add vanilla extract and stir till smooth.
4. Allow to sit in fridge for at least 6 hours before churning in ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's directions, adding in the Nutella during the last few minutes of churning. Makes 1 glorious litre.
   

Chockful of Chocolate.

You know how your mum always taught you that looks aren't everything? Well, these cookies are the perfect thing to apply that teaching to.


I know, i know, these are nothing to look at. It was probably due to my impatience; resulting in overwhipping of the whites hence the retained shapes. But please, please do not judge these by the way they look. I admit i did a horrendous job at prettying them up, so blame me and judge the cookies on their own merit.


They were nothing short of amazing. These little clouds are sneaky ones. They deceive you into thinking they are firm little cookies but the second you bite into their crisp texture, the smooth and intense chocolate mousse centre is revealed. It melts gorgeously in your mouth, tantalizing your tastebuds and leave you wanting more. I don't usually like nuts in my cookies but i more than welcomed them in this to contrast the dark and smooth texture of the chocolate mouuse. It does feel kind of like biting into a nice puffy, fluffy cloud, not that i've ever had one. But you know, imagination here's the key.

This has fast become my favourite way to using up leftover egg whites. Who would have imagined after using the yolks to make tubs of gorgeous, luscious ice cream, i get to use the egg whites to make such delightful little chocolate gems. Life really can't get any better than this :)

Melting Chocolate Meringues [adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet]


Ingredients
3 large egg whites
200g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped [i used Lindt 70%]
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in bursts of 10 seconds and let cool.
2. In a seperate bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla till soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually and keep beating till the whites are stiff but not dry.
3. Pour the melted chocolate and chopped nuts into the mixture and fold to combine. Drop them by the teaspoonsful onto baking trays, leaving them a little room to spread. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays halfway, till cookies feel firm when pressed.
4. Allow to rest on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 36
   

Lime Sorbet

I am so in love with this book. I have to admit that the only reason i have it sitting majestically on my bookshelf is because i shamelessly, indirectly asked one of my best friends who studies in the US for it, and she, bless her generous, kind, giving soul, graciously complied [hi babe! tons of love].


So for many nights now, a routine has fast been set. I would sit in my bed with the reading light on, gingerly place this book in my lap. Taking a sip of hot tea, i would then open the book and, starting from the first page to the very last, read every line, occasionally chuckling at David Lebovitz's witty cracks [the difference between kiwis and kiwifruits being my favourite :)] and pausing momentarily at each stunning photograph, reveling in its beauty.

So when i had a whole bag of limes sitting on my kitchen top, waiting for their turn to be part of something bigger, i knew instantly they were destined for the lime sorbet.


Making this was a breeze. All it required was dissolving the sugar over a stove, allow to chill and add in lime juice and viola, it's ready for churning.

I really enjoyed this sorbet. The ice crystals melts in your mouth, leaving a refreshingly burst of zest tantalizing your tastebuds. The sugar balanced out the tartness of the cirtus fruit perfectly, serving more to enhance its flavour.


I really enjoy sorbets but i have to admit i'm far too impatient to let it sit out for a while so the mixture becomes more scoopable. As you can see, i merely scrapped at it, resulting in it looking more like granita than sorbet.

I'm sorry to be such a tease but the recipe for this won't be posted here. Reason being David's book came out not too long ago and while i'm sure sales has been brisk, i feel bad for sharing too many of his recipes here seeing how i'm gonna post the recipe of the most amazing chocolate ice cream i've ever tasted. The chocolate ice cream will be worth it, i promise you.

Stay tuned for that and some to die for chocolate meringue cookies! :)

No Turning Back Now.

This is the reason why i always make sure i have ice cubes in the freezer, waiting to serve the sole purpose of their existence.

The first time i made these a little less than a year ago, i received a marriage proposal. From a girl, no less. It was in jest of course but that is how good they are.

You know how sometimes when one really good thing happens in your life, all of a sudden, it's like the gloomy clouds have finally dispersed, you start raveling in beauty all around you and notice that the birds are singing, sun's shining yada yada yada? And you just can't imagine what life was like before and you can't turn back now? Yeah. These brownies did that for me. Seriously.


These babies are as chocolatey as they come. I especially love the crust that forms due to the immediate plunging of the pan straight into iced water. Light and crusty, it really is a nice constrast to the dense, gooey texture of the brownies that i can't seem to get enough of.

I really could rave about these all day but really, wouldn't you rather try them out for yourself? Trust me on this, once you've had a slice of these, you really can't settle for any other brownies.

Perfect Fudgey Brownies [taken from bakingbites.com]


Ingredients
120g butter
115g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 8 inch square metal pan with foil and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, melt butter and chocolate in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds till smooth. Let cool for a bit then add sugar, vanilla and salt, stirring well.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl occasionally. Fold flour in gently till just combined.
   
4. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a water bath by filling a large pan with cold water and ice cubes. When brownies are ready, plunge them straight into the water bath. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan and cutting. Makes 16
   

By the way, i've tried these with Baileys. They're really good as anything involving the booze tends to be but you might wanna bake them a couple minutes longer.

Cheesecakes With A Cause.

This cake was the very first cake i ever made as a child and one that i hold so many fond memories of. Along with her carrot cake, my mum was famed for this. Every party she was invited to, she would be asked to bring this cake and be bugged incessantly for the recipe throughout the whole evening by the other guests.


It may be a really simple recipe, one that you can put together within ten minutes but it sure holds a special place in my heart for all the memories created in the kitchen when we would have fun crushing the biscuits up, then using our little fingers to rub the butter in. That always was and still is the best part of making this cake.


I remember standing over the stove, watching my mum thicken the pineapple mixture with cornstarch, unable to take my eyes off the intense yellow hue of the sweet and juicy pineapple cubes. After everything was done, which you know seems to take forever like everything else does when you're a kid, came the hardest part; waiting for pineapple topping to cool completely before we could assemble it and dig in.

I have to admit that there is another reason, other than to rave about this too easy too good cheesecake, behind this post. A more important and worthy reason at that. Barbara of winosandfoodies is showing her unwavering support for LiveSTRONG day, a day set aside to "unify people affected by cancer and to raise awareness about cancer survivorship issues", by organising A Taste Of Yellow; an event that calls for any dish using any ingredient that's yellow.

The minute i read about this event, i knew i had to participate. We all know someone who has been affected by cancer and we can do something about it by raising awareness about it. I think it's really commendable to be showing so much support for cancer survivors and their loved ones, not forgetting people who are currently battling it.

I really can't stress enough how important it is to pay attention to your body. Please, if anything doesn't feel right, regardless of how busy you are, take the time to see a doctor and get a lowdown on what's going on.

Be healthy and keep that smile on your face, the weekend's almost here! :)

Pineapple Cheesecake


Ingredients
12 rich shortbread biscuits, crushed
50g butter, softened

250g cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water, cooled

1 cup pineapple, chopped
2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tsp warm water
Sugar, to taste

1. Generously grease 4 ramekins and set aside.
2. Combine butter and biscuit crumbs and press into base of ramekins with the bottom of a glass. Chill in the refrigerate for an hour.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla till smooth. Add gelatine, mixing well. Pour mixture into ramekins, dividing it into equal portions. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
4. To make pineapple topping Combine pineapple, cornstarch mixture and sugar in a saucepan over low heat till cornstarch thickens slightly. Let cool completely before placing on cakes. Serves 4
   

Care For A Date, Anyone?

Remember the sticky date puddings i was talking about? I finally got round to making them, tweaking the recipe to achieve the dense, sticky texture we were after.


While these weren't that similar to the one at the cafe, i really liked this one. It was dense, sticky and very moist probably due to the cooked dates i pureed before adding to the mixture. It really was sweet enough for my tastebuds so i left the toffee sauce out, choosing to drizzle just a little maple syrup over it instead.

The best thing about these little puddings? They freeze really well so you can make them, pop them in your freezer and have them on hand to satiate any cravings :)

Sticky Date Puddings [adapted from Michelle's old site]


Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp Kahlua
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups self raising flour
550g dates, roughly chopped
2 1/2 cup water

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
150g heavy cream
2 tbsp cornflour paste

1. Bring the water to boil in a saucepan, adding dates in. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 minute till dates are soft. Divide dates mixtures into half, pureeing half and set aside the other half.
2. Soften butter by microwaving on medium for 15 seconds. Add sugar, beating with wooden spoon.Add eggs into butter mixture, one at a time, mixing well each time.
3. Fold in flour gently. Add in reserved chopped dates and puree, stirring well. Pour into pudding mould. Steam for about 20-25 minutes. As a rough gauge, 3 tbsp of mixture takes about 23 minutes to cook. Toothpick should come out clean when poked in the centre.
4. To make sauce Melt the butter. Add sugar, cream and cornstarch paste. Mix on a very gentle flame until its done.To serve, turn pudding out on a plate, pour some toffee sauce over it and microwave for 10 to 15 secs.