WHB#265: Poached Pear & Apricot in Red Wine

This post is written for Weekend Herb Blogging #265, hosted by Haalo who had been driving this marvellous concept. And 2011 is the 5th year of WHB! I missed out the last post of 2010 on 20 Dec, but nevertheless, here we go.


But before we start, let me introduce to you a good friend of mine. Someone whom I met through my journey of food. Kinda surreal but we 'knew' each other way back, when I was still in college and taking baby steps in my culinary adventures. At that time I was intrigued by his style of cooking, never did I expect to meet the man in person when I was invited for a tasting at his restaurant and so there we go our friendship blossomed. :)

Executive Chef Clement Ronald Ng

We will be combining our effort to share our passion in food and WHB is our first step. You can read more about Clement here.

Poached Pear & Apricot in Red Wine

This is a special recipe from Chef Clement. And I have to tell you, it is AWESOME.


You will need:
Packham Pear (Peakham Pear)
Honey
Sugar
Red Wine (Shiraz/ Cabernet Sauvignon)
cloves
cinnamon
orange zest
dried apricots


Method:


1.  Skin pears, core the pear from the bottom, leaving the stem. The idea is so that the red wine can be absorbed both ways, from the outside and the inside. Put them into a heavy bottom saucepan.


2.  Add red wine, enough of it to cover the pears. Pick a strong wine like a shiraz and cab sav.


3. Add honey and sugar. Add enough to make it sweeter than you intend it to be. The sweetness will drop as the pear soaks in the liquid.


4.  Boil the pears in the wine, sugar and honey mixture. Add cloves, cinnamon, orange zest and dried apricots. This should take about 20 mins. A good test is to use a cake tester, stick it into the pear. A nicely cooked pear should stick to the cake tester and be easily taken out of the pan. It should slowly slide off the cake tester. And that's your perfectly cooked pear.


5.  Let the mixture cool. Put the pears and apricots into a container and leave it sealed for at least a month.


You can re-use the red wine mixture if you are doing the pears in batches. The explosion of flavours for the pears and apricots will literally blow you (and your guests, if you are generous enough to share) away. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.


Enjoy.

Weekend Herb Blogging #263 - Round-Up

This week we play host to Weekend Herb Blogging. Been a crazy week with all the technology stuff failing on me. Missing emails and crashing firmware... lucky enough the WHB entries were all retained. (or were they?) Hmm...


First up we have Brii  Valsorda - Garda lake -Italy, with her lovely Lussekatter - St Lucia Buns 

Very interesting custom in Scandinavia. I always love the story behind our (traditional food fare). Simple to make and must be very tasty from the looks of it! Why not bring a taste of Scandinavia (and tradition) to your home this Christmas?


Next up is Haalo with Black Lentils and Speck Crostini.

Flavourful lentils paired with speck (what's this? Read Haalo's entry!) is definitely a great match! I love the suggestion of having an layer of goat cheese. Definitely will taste awesome.

Cinzia from Cindystar has a Sparkling Happy Holidays cocktail to tickle our palate as we welcome the festive season!

Cindy included an interesting write up on promengranate and included a quick recipe to this drink. Promengranate happens to be my favourite fruit of 2010... and I will cheers to that.... with this sparkling cocktail!


Anh from A food lover's journey, Melbourne, Australia, brought to us Poached stone fruits with jasmine and chrysamthemum flowers.

Colourful and I believe totally flavourful with all the fruits and flowers combined together. Love the cheerful outlook that this drink brings and I am sure the fruity and floral essence will perk up your day too!

 Yasmeen Healthnut from Ohio, USA brings to us Cranberry Upma.

Yasmeen shares her insights on cranberries and some of her favourite dishes and variations of how to prepare the berry! Very enlightening indeed! A South Indian dish with cranberries? There you go! Fusion at it's Christmas best. 

And last but not least, Janet from Toronto, Canada present to us, African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew.

African cuisine with a touch of creativity! Janet shares some tips in whipping this unique dish. 

Peach Mousse with Chocolate Crumple

This was part of the round-up for WHB last week and I thought it was really interesting. And since a get-together BBQ was happening, I decided that I should contribute to desserts!

The recipe was adapted from Cindystar.

Ingredients: 

Serves 8/10 cups:

1 kg peach/apricots (since peaches and apricots are very pricey here in Singapore, I substituted it with canned peaches. Will use half fresh/half canned fruits the next time round.)
70 g butter
70 g sugar

for the crumble: 

100 g finely chopped dark chocolate (use at least 70% cocoa. I used a 74% one for the extra bitterness)
100 g finely chopped naturally baked almonds. Pecans would be great too.
100 g soft butter (salted)
90 g flour
50 g caster sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

- Drain the canned peaches and put them in a large pan with butter and sugar. Cook about 20 minutes until the butter and sugar melts into a thick syrup on low heat. Set aside some for garnishing and blend the remaining. Let cool and store in the fridge. Add a teaspoon of brandy or cointreau (orange liquer) for the extra kick.

- Mix butter with flour, almonds, sugar and cocoa powder. Use only the tips of your fingers while mixing. The trick is NOT to melt the butter. I used a block of chocolate. Use a chopper to finely chop the chocolate by hand. Do not use a electric chopper. It will melt the block because of the heat. Add chocolate, mix well and let the mixture in the refrigerator to harden. 

- Coarsely spread the mixture on a baking tray (lined with parchment paper) and bake at 150° for about 30/45 minutes. Set your oven on fan mode if you can. Crumble halfway through baking with a fork. Continue baking till the crumble is dry. Take care not to burn the crumble.
- Divide peach cream into cups, cover with the crumble and garnish with a slice of peach.

CSN Stores give away!

CSN Stores contacted me about hosting a give away on my blog!

I first noticed CSN Stores when I started visiting other blogs and I am pleased to tell you that someone here is going to win a $50 gift certificate for anything from dinnerware, to cork flooring, to slipcovers and diaper bags!! With over 200 online stores to choose from, you will definitely find something to spend your one-time-use CSN $50 gift certificate on!!

As many of you would know, I am a sucker for good dinnerware. I believe eating is a wholesome experience and what's better than to be able to serve your wonderful food and fabulous wares?

From dutch ovens,

to magnificent glasswares,

I am sure you will find the ideal cookware that you need. The voucher can also be used in other sites which sells many many things which you would find useful!

This offer is for addresses in US and Canada only as CSN stores only ships FREE to these two countries. However, Singaporeans you should be able to use VPost! Or get your friends who are in these countries to help you with your purchases! It is a saving on top of savings!

All you have got to do is to email me at @huan and tell me how you are going to use the voucher. A ballot will be conducted and the winner will be  announced at this space! Closing date: 25 August 2010

WHB#244: Truffles

We are back for WHB! Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska is the host for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging.  And this week I will discover the magic of the diamond of fungi - Truffles!

Black Truffles [Source]

Had been fascinated by truffles ever since the first time I tasted it at a local restaurant. It was a risotto with truffles generously shaved over it. The host of WHB, Haalo has a very enticing recipe a truffle risotto here. It is a pity that it is hardly available here in Singapore, and I am on a active hunt to bring it in with help from family and friends overseas.


My passion for food always brings me to researching about ingredients. (hey, I am an engineer by training. gotta go down to details.ha.) Note: A not so appetising fact about the prized fungi follows. Skip the next paragraph if you do not want to risk the way you look at truffles again.


*Potential Appetite Spoiler*


Truffle Flavour: The musky aroma of black truffles comes from androstenone. Androstenone is a steroid that is present in the male underarm sweat and in the saliva of boars (to prompt a mating response from sows). Some people find androstenone repulsive while others are more tolerant of it. 


*End of Potential Appetite Spoiler*


Truffles are basically subterranean mass of dense tissue with stiff structures and a earthy flavour. Raw white truffles are more pungent than black ones and are slightly garlicky, but their flavour is fleeting and is wiped out by too much heat. That is why truffles are usually served finely shaved (I want a truffle shaver!!!) onto hot food, like pasta or risottos at the table (plus what a visual sight!). This is to allow them to be slightly warmed and their flavour don't get dissipated before they reach your mouth!.


Truffle flavoured oil carries from a mild (white truffle oil) to rich (black truffle oil) and complex, mushroom-like flavour. It can be drizzled over carpaccio, scrambled eggs or plain pasta. Rich stuff like cream, butter or heavy cheeses goes great with the sh'room. Oh yah, of course, foie gras too, served on toasted bread with shavings of black truffles. Heavenly.

Truffle shavings on egg [Source]

Some tips on the usage of truffle:


Truffle season varies. For the best quality, use them in their respective season. For white truffles, spring (mid Feb to end May) and autumn (mid Sept to end Dec) are best while summer (May to end Oct) and winter (Jan to end Mar) are ideal for black truffles. Apparently different season brings out different tastes in the truffles. I won't know. Hadn't had a chance to taste all four types.


Truffles only grows in very specific conditions. The right climate, the right soil and the right host tree. Truffles forms a mutually beneficial relationship with its host tree, with both supplying each other with the essential material for growth. Read more on the internet, it is interesting. The pH level of the soil needs to be at 7 and only in uncontaminated soil that truffles will grow well to maturity. A great indicator of the extreme organic food? I am more attached to it already!


Truffles are great on their own! Do not boil, parboil, steam or marinate it. You will spoil the taste (and waste your money.) Canned truffles are (I really have no other choice) alternative. You should avoid cooking or freezing white truffles. And it does not goes well with seafood. Main gist: eat it raw.


Or, if you are feeling extravagrant, make truffle butter and stuffed in under chicken skin and bake it. It is heavenly. You can use other mushrooms like porcini too.


Red wines go best with truffles. Go for medium to full bodied reds to complement the woody fungi. White wine may be too acidic and wash out your palette.


A good sized truffle (30-50grammes) will go a long way.

Black Truffle [Source]

I really hope I can get my hands on some truffles soon!


*As truffles are not readily available in Singapore, pictures used are from other sites. Sources are all quoted at the bottom of the photos.*

Weekend Herb Blogging #243 - Round-Up

Here is a round-up for our little summer party on Eat Read Live - Recipes!

Cardoons with Bechamel - Cook Almost Anything

Haalo from Australia shares with us this not very commonly used member of the artichoke family - the cardoons! What a great name, especially useful to con encourage your kids to have their vegetables. A great alternative to the useful mashed/baked potatoes to go with your Sunday pork/chicken roast.

Herbed Cheese Sticks - Everything Herbed

Ela from the Phillipines shares with us the very unique (and tasty) version of cheese sticks.... with herbs! Coupled with a lemongrass drink, this is sure to be a knock-out for a snack or pre-dinner bite.

Mediterranean cous cous stuffed heirloom tomatoes - Mele Cotte

Chris from Atlanta (USA) shares with us a variety of the super tomatoes! Heirloom tomatoes. It is not available in this part of Asia for us and definitely a "wow" for me when I first saw the photos. Great stuff!

Lemon Balm Tea - Kits Chow

Christine from Vancouver, Canada shares with us the soothing properties (and her gardening experience) of the Lemon Balm. Fantastic member of the family, Christine also included tips on how to use them to aroma-tise the house! Do you know that lemon is one of the most expensive herb to squeeze essential oils out of? I say, why use the oil when you can plant it yourself and use it like Christine!

Ethiopian Lentil Stew & Ethiopian Green Beans and Potatoes - Eats Well with Others

Joanne from NYC shares with us her close-shave experience of her day and the continued inspiration to have natural foods. Her Ethiopian dishes here looks packed to the brim with tastes and flavours while staying au naturel!

Strawberry Custard Tart - Eat.Read.Live

My very own entry after a couple of months break. Strawberries, don't you just love them?

Strawberry Custard Tart

It's WHB #243 and we are super honoured to be hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging. Here's a quick summary of the rules, if you are always cooking, why not share the knowledge with the rest of the community? It's a rewarding experience. :)


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Inspired by the challenge to bake a wedding cake for a close friend's wedding, wifey and I were on a strawberry rampage for a while. We came upon this delightful recipe from a friend's website and decided to give it a shot! And oh man, do we love it, that we repeated the recipe (which we seldom do, we like varieties in our food.) again the following weekend!

We love our strawberries. Japanese ones are the best quality, shape, colour but pricey. And the American ones, especially those with long stems are good and sweet, especially in June. But they don't make good presentation material as they come in all shapes and sizes.
Thus, we prefer the Korean versions as they are mainly of the same size and with very nice rounded crowns which make them easy to process and set.


We used a 9-inch pie dish for this recipe.


Shortcrust Pastry

• 150g plain flour
• 60g salted cold butter, cubed
• 2-3 tbsp cold water
• 100g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

Custard

• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 200ml milk
• 100ml cream
• 2 tbsp honey (I used manuka honey, very distinctive taste)
• 30g sugar
• 1tbsp corn starch

Use as many strawberries as you can fit as topping.

1. Using your fingertips, rub the cubes of butter into the flour. You should get yellow pellets, taking care not the melt the butter. Add the cold water a little at a time and mix by hand to form a ball. Wrap in clingfilm (to keep the moisture in) and chill in the fridge for at least 20mins.
2. Preheat oven to 190C
3. Roll out pastry to fit into pie dish. Pierce pastry base with fork. Bake for 20mins until the pastry is dry and golden brown, making sure it's cooked through. Let cool.
4. Melt dark chocolate and spread evenly over the base of cooked pastry.
5. Whisk egg, cornflour and egg yolks together and make a smooth mixture with no lumps.
6. Heat milk, cream, honey and sugar in a pan until boiling point. (Add vanilla essence if desired. We used Madagascar vanilla bourbon in ours) 
7. Remove from heat, and add a little of the milk mixture to the egg mixture, a little at a time, while whisking the combined mixtures continuously.
8. After combining both mixtures, return to pan and gently heat until mixture thickens, be careful not to burn the mixture.
9. Transfer to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and let cool. Whisk in a little milk or cream if the custard becomes too stiff.
10. Spread custard over the tart base and top with strawberries. Brush over some jam to glaze. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set. 

Note: Do not keep assembled pie with custard for more than 6 hours as the crust tend to become soggy. Finish the tart within 3 days. Trust me, it won't survive that long.