Our tomato vines are fruiting, and so we have an abundance of ripe, red, tomatoes on hand. Desperate to not let it go to waste, I decided to go with my famous roasted tomato and garlic bisque, which was perfect for the small dinner party that we had over the weekend.
I've made this soup a couple of times for events, and it's always performed so well, probably because it's one of the quintessential comfort food items.
I remember the first time I dreamed up the soup. It was in early fall one year, when Heirloom tomatoes were making an unusually long season after a hot summer. I also had just discovered the pleasures of roasted garlic, and was putting the delicious, creamy, caramelized stuff in almost everything. At the time, I was also suffering from what they call "bad kitchen syndrome", which meant that I had only a very tiny electric stove, which never got hot enough. Fortunately, the kitchen came with a little oven which worked quite well. So, to marry the three things together (Heirloom, Roasted Garlic & Oven), I chucked everything in the oven, and 45 minutes later, the perfect tomato soup!
You might not be able to get heirlooms all year round, but regular tomatoes work just as well, and when they come from your own garden - oh yum. Nothing beats that, except if it comes with a grilled cheese sandwich. Butter on both sides please :)
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Bisque
Makes two servings
1 ea Large Heirloom Tomato, or 8 oz equivalent
1/4 ea Yellow onion, preferably vidalia, chopped
1 head Garlic
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375F
Slice the top of the garlic head and drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil
Wrap the garlic head with foil
Core the tomato/tomatoes and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet
Roast the tomatoes and the garlic for about 40 minutes or until the tomatoes are lightly charred on the outside
While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, sweat the onions in the remaining olive oil and let the onions brown just very slightly
Squeeze the garlic pulp from the papery skin
Combine the roasted garlic, tomatoes, onions and chicken stock in a sauce pot
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes
Puree soup, strain, then add the cream and simmer for another 10 minutes
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Attempts to be a Rising TV Star
I hardly ever get a chance to cook Singaporean food because it's so damned tedious, and I have this urge to always make stuff from scratch. But, but, there are always exceptions to the rule. For instance, last Saturday, when I was given the chance to be on a Singaporean TV show (just after my birthday as well, so it could have been considered somewhat of a birthday present). The show was about Overseas Singaporean community getting their fix of Hawker Food, so it was inevitable that I had to make Singaporean Food.
The whole spread, mine is in the middle
The easiest thing I could think of is the quintessential Chicken Rice, which I knew would not take too much prep work, (as opposed to something like Hokkien Mee, which would render my house smelling like prawns for ever, and everyone knows I don't eat shrimp) and a Nonya Dessert that's somewhat a specialty and quite unique (you never see it in restaurants).
I hadn't done these two recipes in maybe about 3 years, so I was a bit nervous about the outcome, but really, I'm not sure why I worry so much. It was quite awesome, and many people asked for the recipes, so I'm posting it here. To save time and energy, I dumb everything down, but really, when chicken rice is so far away, you can't tell the difference. The "secret ingredient" is of course the rendered chicken fat - come on, it's only 2 tablespoons! But if you're squeamish about it, go ahead and use sesame oil instead.
Rendering Chicken Fat
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Serves 6
Chicken:
1 ea Chicken
1 oz Ginger
5 clove Garlic
2 bunches Green Onion
2 strips Pandan/Screwpine Leaves
Rice:
2 cups Thai Long Grain Rice
2 Tbs Rendered Chicken Fat
2 oz Shallot
2 oz Ginger
2 oz Garlic
2 bunches Green Onion
1 Tbs Salt
3 strips Pandan/Screwpine Leaves, Tied into a knot
2 cups Chicken Broth (from cooking the chicken)
1. Stuff the Chicken with the the rest of the ingredients
2. Bring a large pot of water (large enough to fit the chicken) to a boil
3. Put the chicken into the pot, breast side up and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until juices run clear at thighs when pierced
4. Remove the chicken from the pot, and leave to cool. If you're feeling adventurous, dunk the chicken in ice water to stop the cooking for the very authentic lukewarm feeling
5. Reserve the cooking liquid, and reduce to 2 cups for the rice
6. For the rice, process the shallot, ginger, garlic, green onion and salt to make a chicken rice paste - you can do this days ahead and store.
7. Heat the fat in a wok until smoking hot, the add the paste and stir fry until it's fragrant, but not browned
8. Add the rice to the wok and cook until the rice starts to turn opaque
9. Transfer the rice into another pot and add the chicken broth and Pandan Leaf Knot
10. Cover pot and as soon as liquid comes to a boil, turn down to a very gentle simmer for around 15 minutes
11. Fluff the rice, carve the chicken, and serve with the chili sauce (recipe below)
Chicken Rice Chili
4 oz Red Jalapenos or Fresh red chilis
1 oz Shallot
5 cloves Garlic
1 ea Lime Juice
1 cup Chicken Broth
Salt to Taste
1. Process the first 3 ingredients together
2. Add the liquids and simmer on the stove about 15 minutes
3. Season to taste
The whole spread, mine is in the middle
The easiest thing I could think of is the quintessential Chicken Rice, which I knew would not take too much prep work, (as opposed to something like Hokkien Mee, which would render my house smelling like prawns for ever, and everyone knows I don't eat shrimp) and a Nonya Dessert that's somewhat a specialty and quite unique (you never see it in restaurants).
I hadn't done these two recipes in maybe about 3 years, so I was a bit nervous about the outcome, but really, I'm not sure why I worry so much. It was quite awesome, and many people asked for the recipes, so I'm posting it here. To save time and energy, I dumb everything down, but really, when chicken rice is so far away, you can't tell the difference. The "secret ingredient" is of course the rendered chicken fat - come on, it's only 2 tablespoons! But if you're squeamish about it, go ahead and use sesame oil instead.
Rendering Chicken Fat
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Serves 6
Chicken:
1 ea Chicken
1 oz Ginger
5 clove Garlic
2 bunches Green Onion
2 strips Pandan/Screwpine Leaves
Rice:
2 cups Thai Long Grain Rice
2 Tbs Rendered Chicken Fat
2 oz Shallot
2 oz Ginger
2 oz Garlic
2 bunches Green Onion
1 Tbs Salt
3 strips Pandan/Screwpine Leaves, Tied into a knot
2 cups Chicken Broth (from cooking the chicken)
1. Stuff the Chicken with the the rest of the ingredients
2. Bring a large pot of water (large enough to fit the chicken) to a boil
3. Put the chicken into the pot, breast side up and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until juices run clear at thighs when pierced
4. Remove the chicken from the pot, and leave to cool. If you're feeling adventurous, dunk the chicken in ice water to stop the cooking for the very authentic lukewarm feeling
5. Reserve the cooking liquid, and reduce to 2 cups for the rice
6. For the rice, process the shallot, ginger, garlic, green onion and salt to make a chicken rice paste - you can do this days ahead and store.
7. Heat the fat in a wok until smoking hot, the add the paste and stir fry until it's fragrant, but not browned
8. Add the rice to the wok and cook until the rice starts to turn opaque
9. Transfer the rice into another pot and add the chicken broth and Pandan Leaf Knot
10. Cover pot and as soon as liquid comes to a boil, turn down to a very gentle simmer for around 15 minutes
11. Fluff the rice, carve the chicken, and serve with the chili sauce (recipe below)
Chicken Rice Chili
4 oz Red Jalapenos or Fresh red chilis
1 oz Shallot
5 cloves Garlic
1 ea Lime Juice
1 cup Chicken Broth
Salt to Taste
1. Process the first 3 ingredients together
2. Add the liquids and simmer on the stove about 15 minutes
3. Season to taste
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Happy Birthday Chef Laura!
To help celebrate my own birthday this year, I brought in cupcakes to the office!
I've always admitted to being a bad pastry chef, but every decent chef needs to have at least one cake on their repertoire. I thought up this recipe when I was dreaming about Kueh Lapis, which is a rich layered butter cake that I grew up cooking and eating. Kueh Lapis is the biggest time suck in culinary history - it involves baking each layer of batter individually, on top of the previous layer. I'm all about easy cooking and efficiency now, so Kueh Lapis never makes it to my menu, but I remembered a unique ingredient that added a very nice mellow, sweet flavor to the cake - condensed milk. Hence, the recipe name "Condensed Milk Cake"
The CM cake is also made in a very similar way to Kueh Lapis. The fat (butter, yolks & milk) is first creamed then combined with the flour. Then a meringue is folded in which makes it super fluffy. The cake is quite neutral flavored, so it pairs well with any kind of additional flavoring. This time, I used a Dulce de Leche frosting. The result is a cake that's a cross between a pound cake and a chiffon cake, with good structure, but not so heavy that it sinks into your stomach like the pound cake. it's delicious!
Here's the recipe:
4 ea Egg Whites
8 oz Sugar
8 oz Butter
6 ea Egg Yolks
1 can Condensed Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
4 oz Whole Milk
10 oz Cake Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Preheat the oven to 325F
Butter two 9" cake rounds
Whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff, set aside
Cream the butter, and add the yolks one at a time
Add the condensed milk and vanilla to the creamed mixture until just combined
Reduce speed to low and add the sifted ingredients and the whole milk alternatively in 3 batches
Fold in the meringue into the batter
Pour batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for around 45 minutes
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center, and if it comes out clean it's ready!
Frost the cake only when it's completely cool and store in the fridge.
For Dulce de Leche Frosting
1 lb Cream Cheese
1 can Dulche De Leche
3/4 cup Sugar
Whip cream cheese and sugar until fluffy
Add Dulche De Leche and combine
I've always admitted to being a bad pastry chef, but every decent chef needs to have at least one cake on their repertoire. I thought up this recipe when I was dreaming about Kueh Lapis, which is a rich layered butter cake that I grew up cooking and eating. Kueh Lapis is the biggest time suck in culinary history - it involves baking each layer of batter individually, on top of the previous layer. I'm all about easy cooking and efficiency now, so Kueh Lapis never makes it to my menu, but I remembered a unique ingredient that added a very nice mellow, sweet flavor to the cake - condensed milk. Hence, the recipe name "Condensed Milk Cake"
The CM cake is also made in a very similar way to Kueh Lapis. The fat (butter, yolks & milk) is first creamed then combined with the flour. Then a meringue is folded in which makes it super fluffy. The cake is quite neutral flavored, so it pairs well with any kind of additional flavoring. This time, I used a Dulce de Leche frosting. The result is a cake that's a cross between a pound cake and a chiffon cake, with good structure, but not so heavy that it sinks into your stomach like the pound cake. it's delicious!
Here's the recipe:
4 ea Egg Whites
8 oz Sugar
8 oz Butter
6 ea Egg Yolks
1 can Condensed Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
4 oz Whole Milk
10 oz Cake Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Preheat the oven to 325F
Butter two 9" cake rounds
Whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff, set aside
Cream the butter, and add the yolks one at a time
Add the condensed milk and vanilla to the creamed mixture until just combined
Reduce speed to low and add the sifted ingredients and the whole milk alternatively in 3 batches
Fold in the meringue into the batter
Pour batter evenly into the two cake pans and bake for around 45 minutes
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center, and if it comes out clean it's ready!
Frost the cake only when it's completely cool and store in the fridge.
For Dulce de Leche Frosting
1 lb Cream Cheese
1 can Dulche De Leche
3/4 cup Sugar
Whip cream cheese and sugar until fluffy
Add Dulche De Leche and combine
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Jaffa to Jerusalem - Chef Laura in Israel Part 3
The oldest port in the world is under construction, but that didn't distract from the historic awe that I indulged myself in when I visited Jaffa. The old city is atop a hill and you get an awesome view of the harbor that brought in cedars from Lebanon for both the first and second temples of Jerusalem.
A great view of Tel Aviv from Jaffa
Modern Jaffa thrives on it's antiquity, with a quaint old town feel. Even the night street market reminds me of an old bazaar, completely different from contemporary Tel Aviv, which is just a 10 minute walk north. Street side stalls of shwarma, falafel and shish kebab abound, but we chose to visit Noa, a cute little Mediterranean bistro on a side alley. Noa is the little sister to Cordelia, the more famous and upmarket restaurant just around the corner, with the same chef, and from reviews, equally good.
They had a tasting menu going on with a couple of first courses to share, and then a main course each.
My dining partner was a great sport, and humored my appetite by allowing me to order an extra liver pate (which of course I absolutely love), even on severe warning from the waitress that it was a lot of food (rubbish!). The best plate was the sea bream carpaccio, which was thinly sliced (think Hirame), then dressed in olive oil, sea salt and chives. Super simple, super fresh, and super delicious.
As mentioned earlier the pate was fantastic, but what I really loved was the macerated raisins which became plump with a good dose of dessert wine, not unlike what I serve my foie gras with.
We tried the lamb kebabs which was stuffed with goat cheese, and a braised pork shank which had cooked for hours and was completely falling off the bone. The kebabs were a bit more unique, but the shank was a better dish. How can you go wrong with a good braising technique anyway, especially with all that good fat around the lean meat? Note to self - if you want to impress, braise.
After eating so well on Thursday night, by breakfast on Friday seemed comparatively blah - a Challah Egg Sandwich and mineral water, which I munched on while driving to Ein Gedi (I'm a safe driver, I swear!).
It wasn't a bad drive at all, in fact completely enjoyable, especially when I noticed the difference between the lush greenery on the West of Jerusalem, and then the acrid desert to the East. In the wilderness of Judea, I spotted a couple of very interesting things, included a decked out camel and goats on a hill.
My ears also kept popping as I drove further down the 400m towards the Dead Sea.
I arrived at Ein Gedi in the heat of the day, and I'm not sure what I was thinking (but the kiosk at the foot of the hike knows, trust me - they charge you 3X the price for water), but I took the hike up to Wadi David, cooling off in the freshwater pools along the way.
It amazed me to know that such beautiful oases could survive just a stone's throw away from the Dead Sea which can hold no life all (not known to man anyway).
After a float in the Dead Sea and a self-attending spa treatment by caking myself in the blackest of mud, my skin was ultra soft, and it was just in time for me to make the 45 minute drive further south to Ein Bokek, where I would spend the night.
This took me past Masada, unfortunately, I wasn't able to stop because it was just so damn hot (45C). I arrived just in time to take another dip in the salt pools which used to be part of the Dead Sea before it dried up and water had to be pumped in. Unlike the ultra-cool float at Ein Gedi, the water at Ein Bokek was like a hot tub - except that in mid afternoon, it was unbearably hot, so I headed back to my room to watch the sunset instead.
Fortunately, even on shabbat there was a great (relatively speaking) restaurant around the corner called Quattro, and I was able to escape the hotel buffet to have dinner there. The food was not bad, fried calamari and lamb kebabs again, served with a delicious eggplant mash.
For dessert, I had the Belgium waffle with ice cream and bananas, enough to feed another 3 more people and then some. I chatted with Maya, my friendly waitress, until she had to go back to work.
I woke up early the next morning (6am) to make the drive back to Jerusalem in time for the 9am tour. Conveniently enough, my GPS kept trying to take me into Jericho. It's a good thing I have a great sense of direction - for a girl anyway. Unfortunately, that was not enough to save me from Jerusalem, which is ridiculously complicated and has no city planning at all. I guess they didn't do that sort of thing 3000 years ago.
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
Mercy Gates
The day tour took us into Bethlehem, and to every single Jerusalem sight you can think of, including the Western Wall where I was yelled at for taking pictures on Shabbat.
The best picture I could get of the Western Wall
Incense at the Bazaar
Arab Sweets that I missed
Lunch was completely uneventful, and at the end of the day, all I wanted to do was... eat (no surprised there). After much trouble with trying to check in before sunset on a Saturday (that will teach me - next time just pick a name brand hotel, come on!), I headed out for dinner at a place which I was reassured several times that the food was very good.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Askadinya is on Shimon Ha Tsedek Street in East Jerusalem, tucked away in a remodeled 19th century house with limestone walls and arched doorways. I was on my own again when it came to dinner, and on recommendation, ordered the beef steak with a tasty green pepper and garlic dressing and sauteed baby potatoes and squash.
Actually my first steak in Israel
I was desperate to have some Arab sweets for dessert, which unfortunately they did not have, so I had to make do with the peanut mousse cake, topped with an Italian meringue (marshmallow), which was quite unique, and something that I will probably try to replicate.
I finished off the night having drinks at the Blue Hole, an Irish (I know huh?) Pub , which was busy till the wee small hours of the morn, evidence that the Nightlife also exists outside Tel Aviv.
A crazy Shisha shop round the corner form the Blue Hole
Sadly, this was the close of my weekend in Jerusalem, and I left for Tel Aviv on Sunday for the coup de grace - but that, as they say, is another post!
A great view of Tel Aviv from Jaffa
Modern Jaffa thrives on it's antiquity, with a quaint old town feel. Even the night street market reminds me of an old bazaar, completely different from contemporary Tel Aviv, which is just a 10 minute walk north. Street side stalls of shwarma, falafel and shish kebab abound, but we chose to visit Noa, a cute little Mediterranean bistro on a side alley. Noa is the little sister to Cordelia, the more famous and upmarket restaurant just around the corner, with the same chef, and from reviews, equally good.
They had a tasting menu going on with a couple of first courses to share, and then a main course each.
My dining partner was a great sport, and humored my appetite by allowing me to order an extra liver pate (which of course I absolutely love), even on severe warning from the waitress that it was a lot of food (rubbish!). The best plate was the sea bream carpaccio, which was thinly sliced (think Hirame), then dressed in olive oil, sea salt and chives. Super simple, super fresh, and super delicious.
As mentioned earlier the pate was fantastic, but what I really loved was the macerated raisins which became plump with a good dose of dessert wine, not unlike what I serve my foie gras with.
We tried the lamb kebabs which was stuffed with goat cheese, and a braised pork shank which had cooked for hours and was completely falling off the bone. The kebabs were a bit more unique, but the shank was a better dish. How can you go wrong with a good braising technique anyway, especially with all that good fat around the lean meat? Note to self - if you want to impress, braise.
After eating so well on Thursday night, by breakfast on Friday seemed comparatively blah - a Challah Egg Sandwich and mineral water, which I munched on while driving to Ein Gedi (I'm a safe driver, I swear!).
It wasn't a bad drive at all, in fact completely enjoyable, especially when I noticed the difference between the lush greenery on the West of Jerusalem, and then the acrid desert to the East. In the wilderness of Judea, I spotted a couple of very interesting things, included a decked out camel and goats on a hill.
My ears also kept popping as I drove further down the 400m towards the Dead Sea.
I arrived at Ein Gedi in the heat of the day, and I'm not sure what I was thinking (but the kiosk at the foot of the hike knows, trust me - they charge you 3X the price for water), but I took the hike up to Wadi David, cooling off in the freshwater pools along the way.
It amazed me to know that such beautiful oases could survive just a stone's throw away from the Dead Sea which can hold no life all (not known to man anyway).
After a float in the Dead Sea and a self-attending spa treatment by caking myself in the blackest of mud, my skin was ultra soft, and it was just in time for me to make the 45 minute drive further south to Ein Bokek, where I would spend the night.
This took me past Masada, unfortunately, I wasn't able to stop because it was just so damn hot (45C). I arrived just in time to take another dip in the salt pools which used to be part of the Dead Sea before it dried up and water had to be pumped in. Unlike the ultra-cool float at Ein Gedi, the water at Ein Bokek was like a hot tub - except that in mid afternoon, it was unbearably hot, so I headed back to my room to watch the sunset instead.
Fortunately, even on shabbat there was a great (relatively speaking) restaurant around the corner called Quattro, and I was able to escape the hotel buffet to have dinner there. The food was not bad, fried calamari and lamb kebabs again, served with a delicious eggplant mash.
For dessert, I had the Belgium waffle with ice cream and bananas, enough to feed another 3 more people and then some. I chatted with Maya, my friendly waitress, until she had to go back to work.
I woke up early the next morning (6am) to make the drive back to Jerusalem in time for the 9am tour. Conveniently enough, my GPS kept trying to take me into Jericho. It's a good thing I have a great sense of direction - for a girl anyway. Unfortunately, that was not enough to save me from Jerusalem, which is ridiculously complicated and has no city planning at all. I guess they didn't do that sort of thing 3000 years ago.
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
Mercy Gates
The day tour took us into Bethlehem, and to every single Jerusalem sight you can think of, including the Western Wall where I was yelled at for taking pictures on Shabbat.
The best picture I could get of the Western Wall
Incense at the Bazaar
Arab Sweets that I missed
Lunch was completely uneventful, and at the end of the day, all I wanted to do was... eat (no surprised there). After much trouble with trying to check in before sunset on a Saturday (that will teach me - next time just pick a name brand hotel, come on!), I headed out for dinner at a place which I was reassured several times that the food was very good.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Askadinya is on Shimon Ha Tsedek Street in East Jerusalem, tucked away in a remodeled 19th century house with limestone walls and arched doorways. I was on my own again when it came to dinner, and on recommendation, ordered the beef steak with a tasty green pepper and garlic dressing and sauteed baby potatoes and squash.
Actually my first steak in Israel
I was desperate to have some Arab sweets for dessert, which unfortunately they did not have, so I had to make do with the peanut mousse cake, topped with an Italian meringue (marshmallow), which was quite unique, and something that I will probably try to replicate.
I finished off the night having drinks at the Blue Hole, an Irish (I know huh?) Pub , which was busy till the wee small hours of the morn, evidence that the Nightlife also exists outside Tel Aviv.
A crazy Shisha shop round the corner form the Blue Hole
Sadly, this was the close of my weekend in Jerusalem, and I left for Tel Aviv on Sunday for the coup de grace - but that, as they say, is another post!
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