A Shift In Plating (No, I don't mean geographically)

J and I had dinner at Becassé (I will write another post detailing that visit) the other night and I got to thinking about 'plating'. I've noticed that the 'traditional' way of plating i.e. centered and piled up mile high has shifted.

The white plate has become more a canvas for the chef and the food, mediums, for his work of art.

In saying this however, it is worth mentioning I think the traditional still looks beautiful when executed with the right foods but I feel is it overused and the new has injected a new challenge for chefs to be able to use colours and textures from their ingredients to create their 'paintings'.

Pictures speak more than words, here's what I mean:

Comparisons

The Traditional




The 'New'

Killing Two Birds With One Stone

I had extra chocolate cream, from a failed meringue experiment which I won't even bother to write about, and a sponge recipe I wanted to try. Here's what I made...

Chocolate Cream Sponge Cake



Sponge Cake

INGREDIENTS
5 eggs (large)
¾ cup castor sugar
½ cup custard powder
½ cup cornflour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder

METHOD
· Preheat oven to 175C

· Separate the whites and yolks, set yolks aside.

· Whisk the whites until soft peaks form, gradually adding the sugar. Add the yolks to the whisked whites, mixing until combined.

· Remove from the mixer and fold through the sieved dry ingredients.

· Transfer to the buttered and floured tin/s.

· Bake for 15-20 minutes for the small cakes or 25-30 minutes for the large.

Yield: 2 x 20cm round tins or 1 x 28cm round tin

Chocolate Cream

INGREDIENTS
125g Chocolate
30g Unsalted Butter
300ml Whipping Cream

METHOD
· Melt chocolate and butter over a bain marie and let cool.

· Whip cream and combine both together

· Sit in the fridge for an hour, use as needed.


Enjoy!

Sour Death Balls

Have a look at Jessica Yu's film Sour Death Balls.

The Right For Public Expression

Walking along George Street outside Townhall, there were some anti-war protesters who provided chalk on the walkway for people to express their opinions and sentiments.



Heh Heh

Rocky Road Macaroons

I've somehow been inundated with MACAROONS recently. I've been reading about them everywhere. It's almost like the macaroons are screaming... 'Make Me! Make Me!'.

To be honest I am slightly intimidated with macaroons because I've known them to be something that looks easy to make but is actually not.

After I got my Kitchenaid, one of the first things I wanted to make was ...macaroons! One afternoon with nothing to do, the macaroon making begun.




Here's how they turned out:



They are not exactly the 'perfect' macaroons because they don't have the trademark smooth skin on top, crown of crust on the base and light but slightly chewy texture. But, they taste pretty damn good despite looking abit rocky road like. Between J and myself, we finished all 30 of them.

I won't put a recipe on here because I believe I can find a better one so look out for it next time.

The most famous macaroons are from France. Pierre Hermés 'Ispahan's' are on my list of things to eat before I die and Chez Pim has a great writeup on it. Laduree is also said to make excellent ones plus on their website they have great pictures and some information on The Story of Macaroons if you are interested.

Anyway, it was really fun making them and J actually baked with me. He was the one who did all the piping and hes hooked. Today he said to me," you know what? Let's make the most 'kickass best-est macaroons'!"

The Birthday Present

From the previous Tom Cruise post, you would probably have read that last Sat was my birthday.

Here's what I got from J... My very own KitchenAid in very sexy Empire Red.



I've been wanting one for quite awhile. Everytime we walk pass a kitchenaid at the shops, I Oogle at them, talking to myself about what colour I would buy. I never bought one though because I never felt a good enough baker to justify spending so much on a piece of equipment.

I always told myself when I am better at it I will get one. I guess someone believes in me enough!



So, when I finally opened my present and all, it was pretty late at night but I couldn't sleep without using my brand spanking new Kitchenaid. I decided to beat an egg and had J video it for me. Imagine us in the kitchen 12 midnight, standing there staring at the Kitchenaid beat an egg.

Heres the video:

Edible Assignment

Last week for Cordon Bleu classes, we had to plan a table d'hote menu, meaning set menu with 2 items for each course. Here's a glimpse of the assignment, I made all of the dishes and J helped me take pictures of them for the assignment.

Wild Mushroom Terrine, Toasted Brioche and Salad with
Sesame and Ginger Dressing




Suckling Pork Belly, Seared Scallops, Grapefruit dressed
Fennel Salad and Fig Infused Balsamic Vinegar




Fillet of beef, Pommé Puree, Spring Vegetables and Madeira Jus




Roasted Duck, Sauteed Spinach, Sweet Potato Crisps
and Sauce from the Press




Mango Tarte Tatin, Papaya Syrup and Coconut Sorbet




Warm Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Fresh Raspberries
and King Island Cream

18th November

Tom cruise got married yesterday, which happened to be my birthday as well. As a congratulatory tribute, here is the famous vanity fair cover. By the way, I'm not really a fan of Hollywood celebrities particularly Tom but hey his daughter is absolutely beautiful so that for me is enough of a reason for a post.

Basic Veal Stock

I made a basic veal stock the other day because there were a few meat dishes I wanted to make and in order to get a nice sauce for those dishes, you need a good veal stock.

A pot of good veal stock to a chef is like a pot of gold. The aroma, the dark caramel colour, the number of hours tending to it and lovingly watching over it, I love making stock.

It is a pity I dont have a deep freezer, if I did, I would have veal stock, chicken stock and fish stock all stocked up!

Here's how my basic veal stock goes:

For a 17 litre stock pot.

1.5 kg veal or beef shanks
2 pigs trotters
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
1 leek
2 onions
5 sprigs of thyme
10 peppercorns
2 bay leafs
10 juniper berries

I always ask my chinatown butcher to cut all the bones and trotters for me into approximately 5cm by 5 cm sized pieces. It really makes things a breeze when is already all butchered up. Plus, smaller pieces allow all the flavour from the bones to easily 'come out'.

In a large roasting tray, arrange veal shanks and trotters. Scatter on your mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion and leeks). Bake this in a 200˚c oven for around 45 minutes. Constantly turning them around to ensure everything has an even dark brown colour.

The colour from the caramelisation of the bones and vegetables is absolutely ESSENTIAL to the stock. The body and soul of the stock comes from this very important caramelization. (Of course, this does not apply if you are making a fish stock or white chicken stock)

I know I should have taken pictures but I did not have my camera available. I will try to describe it as vividly as I can and take pictures next time.

When the lot is adequately browned, put into the big stock pot and throw in the rest of the ingredients. Fill it up with cold water and bring to a boil.

The reason we use cold water is because if you use hot water, you seal off the 'cell openings'/pores on the bones and hence the flavour will not 'come out'. When using cold water, you allow the flavour to be coaxed into the cooking liquid.

It is very important while waiting for it to come to boil to SKIM the top of any scum. This ensures a clear stock. Scum is the layer of froth looking dirt that appear on the surface and Skim if the process of removing that scum. DO IT! Don't be lazy, it really adds to the final product especially if you are going to reduce it for as glace de viande.

When the stock has come to the boil, put it on a simmer for 6-8 hours.

After 6-8 hours, strain the stock. You should have a wonderful smelling kitchen and a luscious looking stock.

This stock can store in a freezer for 2 -3 months and in a fridge for around 2 weeks.

The following posts shows what I did with my stock.

Pan Fried Ocean Trout, Boiled Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage and Lemon Myrtle Dressing

For the non-australians, this dish might be a problem to make because the sauce uses two native Australian ingredients, commonly known as 'bush tucker/bushfood'. The two ingredients are lemon myrtle and mountain pepper.

To start, wash and clean ocean trout, remove any bones and scales. Cut into desired portion sizes and marinate with grapeseed oil, 1 tbsp lemon myrtle and 1 tbsp mountain pepper. Marinate for around 20 minutes.

The reason we use grapeseed oil is because it is a neutral oil without any flavours therefore the lemon myrtle and mountain pepper come through more prominently.

In the meantime, wash and peel potatoes, slice into 5mm thick slices. In a pot add cold water, salt and potatoes, boil until potatoes are cooked and strain. Do not rinse under cold water because it will become sticky and thats not good, just let it dry out naturally.

With the savoy cabbage, just wash and cut into 1cm strips. Saute with butter, salt and pepper.

For the sauce, 30ml grapeseed oil, 2 tbsp whitewine vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp lemon myrtle, 1 tsp mountain pepper, a squirt of lemon juice and seasoning. Shake it, shake it, shake it then taste it and adjust according. If its too sour, add sugar, if it does not have enough kick, add vinegar.

Pan fry ocean trout in olive oil and a little butter, skin side down first. Depending on the thickness of your fish, cooking time will vary. For ocean trout though, you want it still pink in the middle if not it will be too dry.

To plate up, layer potatoes then the cabbage, place fish on top and drizzle with sauce.

Pork Rillettes on Toasted Sourdough Bread

Pork rillettes are a tad tedious to make but they taste delicious. It is usually eaten during winter in France because it is very fatty hence will keep you warm and make you feel good.

A typical french restaurant would serve this as a canape with freshly toasted bread and a small ramekin of pork rillette with a thin layer of 'soft' spreadable pork fat on the top and you would eat it like how you would eat bread and butter.

A very robust red wine like a shiraz would go really well it this dish. The usual accompaniments are gherkins/cornichons to 'cut' the fattiness.

This is how I made my Pork Rillette.

Buy a nice fresh piece of pork belly (you could use pork shoulder as well, it just has to be fatty). Cut it into 3cm by 3cm dice and marinate overnight with chopped thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

The next day place the pork in a pot and add water. About 2/3 the height of the amount of pork you have. You could use rendered duck fat if you have some, say from making Arh Perng. Cover and bake in a 160˚c oven for 3.5 hours.

Strain the fat and let both the fat and pork cool down. When pork is cool enough to handle, flake it.

Pack the pork very compactly in a container and make sure there are no air pockets (air pockets might cause the meat to spoil) and pour a layer of fat on top to preserve it and keep it moist. If packed properly you can keep this in your freezer for up to 2 months.

Poaching And Boiling

This is for you Julius!

The basic difference between poaching and boiling, as scientifically as I can put it, is basically how fast the air bubbles move in the water. Think of poaching as SLOW and boiling as FAST.

Generally you would poach dishes where you want the 'food' you are cooking to cook slowly and not be treated aggressively thus sometimes losing shape and colour. Another example where you would want to poach is if it is a very 'tough' food and you want to soften it slowly.

With the hybrid cabbage, I chose to poach it rather than boil because I wanted it to retain its shape and the bottom part was abit stringy so I felt slow cooking would have been the best option. Other examples of great poaching dishes are poached pears or poached eggs.

Boiling is actually the best way to cook vegetables. It seals in the vitamins and vegetables retain their vibrant colour. When blanching vegetables or cooking pasta you definately want a rapid boil.

And regarding your comment about throwing all the sauces you have on your shelve when cooking, I used to do that too. But after awhile I felt all my dishes came out the same! So, I 'deconstructed' and started to use my sauces for what they are and combined only one or two at a time. From that I found a whole new range of dishes started to emerge.

Double Chocolate Cake with Armagnac Creme Anglaise

I think it speaks for itself...

Pan Fried Barramundi with Asparagus, Chateau Potatoes and Hollandaise Sauce

A very simple meal with all the important food groups.

White fish in Australia is amazingly ocean fresh and very easy to cook, as long as you don't over cook! I simply coated the skin side only with seasoned flour, pan fried to seal and finished them off in a hot oven.

For the asparagus, I blanched in salted water and refreshed them. Just before serving, reheat in boiling water and a quick toss and season in clarified butter.

Potatoes, a cold water start blanch in salted water until just cooked. Drain the potatoes and just let them sit and dry out a little. Just before serving, a quick toss and season ,plus some chopped parsley, in clarified butter.

Hollandaise sauce is the tricky bit. First you need to make a reduction with 1 shallot, 10ml white wine vinegar, freshly cracked white pepper and a little water.

Over a simmering bain marie, whisk 3 egg yolks plus the reduction until you reach sabayon stage. You know you have reached sabayon stage when you can see the bottom of the bowl whilst whisking. Drop by drop, whisk in 120ml clarified butter. Season with salt, white pepper and a little cayenne pepper. Taste and add lemon juice if you need it.

Voila!

Tom Yum Goong

I bought some really fresh prawns yesterday and decided it was time to make some tom yum goong. The tom yum goong usually found in sydney (for me) is always too sweet and a tad bit too hot.

The last time I went to Kota Kinabalu I had really good tom yum noodles so I tried to replicate it. The Tom Yum is known in Kota Kinabalu as 'Hilltop Tom Yum' and the uncle who sells it , 'Fu So Loh', the bearded man.

Their goong was served with bee hoon and very flavoursome with a creamy touch. According to J, he frys his paste with 'hei bee' and pork floss and some secret sour ingredient and their creaminess comes from adding evaporated milk. I do not have any evaporated milk in my pantry so I will be adding cream to mine.

For my goong, I peeled the prawns, devined them and put them in the fridge. With the shells, I fried them off with a knob of ginger and kaffir lime leaves [lemon grass if you have any] until they were brown and caramelised. I deglazed with water and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, I strained the liquid, added some tom yum paste and boiled it for 15 more minutes to let the flavours meld and intensify. Before serving, add cream to taste. The cream mellows the goong and adds a lemak-ness to it which I prefer and enjoy.

To serve, place beehoon in bowl, add garnishes. For my garnish, I used the fresh prawns which I cooked it the soup and some finely sliced shitake mushroom. To top it off, some finely julienned kaffir lime leaves and lemon zest.

If I had some fresh herbs like coriander or mint, I would add that too.

Yesterday's Lunch

I went to Chinatown yesterday morning to buy my duck and here's some other stuff I picked up.

A Giant Baby Cabbage



I saw this giant cabbage for the first time. It was slightly longer than my arm from the tip of my finger to my elbow. Ok, so maybe I have short arms but trust me it is BIG. Plus, it was wrapped up in delicate paper like a baby, I had to take one home.

I tried to find out it's origins and my only conclusion is that is it a hybrid cabbage, a cross between the michihili/monument cabbage.

I cooked it very simply in some boiling salted water for lunch so that I could taste it in its pureness.

It has a similar taste to the common wong bok, not much sweeter, but abit more stringy, which is not a good thing. So, I guess I'm sticking to my wong bok. Besides, it's so long it does not fit into my fridge properly and I had to cut abit off the top in order for it to fit!


New Season Australian Cherries.



I adore cherries! My favourite is eating them straight out of the fridge, fresh and cold.

A long time ago, I watched an episode of BBC Two's Saturday Kitchen of Bill Granger making a really yummy looking sort-of cherry tart.

It was a light puff pastry, blind-baked. Then topped with a light creme patisserie and an abundance of freshy pitted cherries that have been macerated in a little grand marnier. Will try making it when the cherries get cheaper-er.

Anyhow, This is/was todays lunch.

Mirin+Garlic chicken and poached hybrid cabbage with rice

Here's a recipe for the dead easy Mirin+Garlic chicken winglets:

• 8 Chicken winglets
• 1/4 cup Cooking mirin
• 1 tbsp Light Soy
• 5 Cloves of garlic

Fry the garlic cloves [whole with skin on] till fragrant. Add winglets and saute till sealed. Add mirin and light soy.
Pour in a dash of water and let simmer till chicken is cooked and sauce thickens a little.

Arh Perng

A nice plump and juicy size 19.



As you know, I don't have a recipe so all the measurements are aga-aga estimates. Anyhow, heres what I did:

Make the mother stock.
Fry off 5 cloves of garlic, a knob of ginger [the size of your thumb], 5 shallots, one star anise and a small piece of cassia bark.
When fragrant and bubbling in oil, add 1/3 cup of dark soy and 2/3 cup of good light soy [I used Kimlan aged soy]. Let it bubble for a minute then add water. Boil the stock for 5 minutes.
Remove the cassia bark and star anise, let stock sit.



Give the duck a good wash, trim off any excessive fat and make sure all the guts are removed. Pat it very very dry and rub some salt+five spice powder.



But, do not throw away the excessive fat, render the fat by slow cooking the 'goodness' with a little water. When the fat has excreted (for want of a better word), skim the fat of the top and keep refrigerated. Its great to use for dishes such as chateau potatoes or collect a pot full and use for confit.



Bake the duck in a 220˚c preheated oven for around 20-30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Let the duck rest for 15 minutes.



Boil up your mother stock and submerge the duck into the boiling stock. [My pot was not big enough so I had to cut my duck up into quarters. I would much rather have thrown the whole duck in though.]

Turn off the fire and let the duck sleep overnight in the stock [if possible] if not at least 4-6 hours.

The next day, I cook the rice.

I take my duck out from the fridge and put it on a slow flame to let it peacefully wake up.

For the rice, I blanched then deep fried some yam. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or over the stove with the mother stock and add the deep fried yam halfway through. When rice is ready, give it a good stir. It should be dark brown with chunks of yam in it.

Talking about the yam, I bought this thing they called 'White and Purple Yam' from Chinatown and it is SUPER yam. I love it, its sweet and delicate not sticky like normal yams and it is very pretty mostly white with a stunning purple tinge on the rim.

Also, with some of the yam, I julienned and deep fried for garnish.

I've tried finding out what it is but to no avail. Although, I suspect it might be Yamaimo/Nagaimo Please enlighten me if you know more about this yam.






The final touches. Take the hot duck out and put it on a plate. With the remaining stock, boil for about 20 minutes to intensify the flavour. Season and thicken with corn starch or potato starch whichever one you have in your pantry.

Typically, at Uncles stall this is how they serve arh perng. Put a heap of rice, slices of duck and pieces of roughly cut cucumber. Top with with the rich and thick sauce and put the compulsory sprig of coriander.

Finally!

Yellow Lump

Yellow Lump otherwise also known as yellow rock sugar is another important ingredient for the 'Arh Perng' sauce. It is basically a solidified/crystallised mixture of honey, refined and unrefined sugar.



I personally prefer using rock sugar because it has a much more delicate and 'unprocessed' flavour. Rock sugar also adds to the sauce having a sumptuous gloss and 'ooomph'.

Nostalgia might be another reason I love this sugar. As a child, my mum used to put rock sugar into dishes like 'Kong Ba Bao' and birds nest. I would always sneak some little lumps and really enjoy sucking on them while I watched T.V. And then my mum would shout, "Zhe mer fei hai chi tang!" [meaning: So fat still eat sugar!]

my inaugural post

I was recently criticised (spellcheck had to correct the spelling of 'critisise' for me, hah) for owning too many cookbooks and not putting any of them to good use by cooking the same old same old ALL THE TIME, Tamade.

OK, I know I'm guilty because an original hardcover 1965 print of this is on the way to me from amazon as I type. Anyhow, I made a decision to put my cook books to good use!

Ironically, I have an intense craving for singapore duck rice [Arh-Perng] today but none of my cookbooks have a recipe for 'Arh-Perng'. Recipes like that are usually handed down by great great great grandmas to grandmas to mothers to daughters.

So, the cookbook thing will have to happen after this trial and error 'Arh-Perng' thing.




As part of my 'Arh-Perng' research on soy sauce, I looked to the source of almost-all knowledge or as J calls it 'the nerds repository', Wikipedia.

Well, they called worcestershire sauce... "Ang Mor Tao Yew"!