D e l i s i o u c i t y

Sometimes, and for no reason at all, I grab my camera and start shooting randomly. I also will end up with a stiff neck because I know better that my hands are not that steady and an investment in a tripod is possibly a reality  in the horizon. The stiff neck comes from the peering about into the small camera peep-hole thingamajiggy (let’s save the lingo for another day, shall we?) and the fact that I am utterly obsessed about capturing tiny details (a.k.a macros). Technically, I need a proper macro lens of some sort (again, let’s skip the jargon), but holy cr*p, these things cost a bomb. Na-ah, no way.. at least not now. But I soooo want to capture details badly!! It’s probably my number one most annoying trait, this fixation with details. So I’m calling for any photog addicts out there willing to mentor me in exchange for desserts ^_^ (batting eyelids). Anyone?

In the meantime, I’m posting up some pictures of objects that I love and that provides me with calmness and inspiration. Some of these were taken at my oldest sister’s beautiful home in Kuala Belait.. and not so incidentally, she is also a little bit obsessed with details. It must probably run in the family. (P/s Ka, I love your home and  your new car and thank you for belanja-ing us yesterday. My turn next time when a certain someone gets back to Brunei). hehee.

One of the reasons why I truly enjoy randomly snapping away at certain places is the fact that there is natural light available there. I love the open, minimalist concept of certain homes de-cluttered of accessories that do not necessarily complement their interior designs. What I especially love are colours that neutralize the environment from outdoors – like shades of gray and white, and different tones of earthy brown. When strong opposites lay side by side, or merely juxtaposed against one another, you see a contrastingly beutiful effect that gives a sense of homeliness and nature – such as splashes of fresh green or sexy plum against said neutral colours, bien sur. What minimalist, open-air concepts can do is to make photographing easier as I don’t have to search for the light as much as I would be taking random pictures at night! Now if only these darn cameras weren’t so heavy, I could actually reduce my shaking and blur (yes, this is in spite of the Image Stabilizer function). boo.

I’d like to share with you a recipe too, today. It’s inspired by one of Nigella Lawson’s express meals, and delivers the whole colour/texture contrast that I love so much

Crab meat with Avocado and Wasabe Wrap
Adapted from Nigella’s Express

A can of good quality crab meat
An avocado, sliced lengthwise or balled with a melon-baller
A tablespoon of wasabe paste
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves
Tortilla wrap or thin wholewheat pita bread

Drain the crab meat and mix with wasabe paste. Season to taste. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a tortilla wrap, and add a spoonful of crabmeat, topped with avocados. Tuck in one edge of the wrap to cover the filling, and roll. You may also ’seal’ this wrap by press-grilling the whole thing. Cut diagonally and enjoy.

Finally, I want to introduce you to Memie the cat. He resides at my mum’s home and although I am a genuine cat-lover person, I am not allowed to have a cat at our home because number one, husby does not want to be responsible for the waste-management duties of felines (boo!), and two, my constant baking means that cat hair or the possibility of cat cooties flying about is not a good one. hehe. Ah well.

He does know how to werq it like a true model, doesn’t he? Being fully aware of my photo-snapping sounds and all. *eye roll*

xoxo

The event covered in this post happened yonks ago and I’ve finally finished editing the draft after so much procrastination ^_^ Happy reading, and glad to have met you that day!

Oh the sparkle in his eyes! What a stick of Cuppiepop can do to a boy.

It was the 6th anniversary celebration of ranoadidas.com on Friday 12th June, and I was very excited to have been invited by Rano himself to participate in one of the booths there. Actually that’s quite understated. I was over the moon, and simply couldn’t contain myself, as witnessed by my much understanding and extremely supportive husby ^_^ So on we went! We planned and we planned for the official debut of Delisioucity’s fine desserts and patisseries, and yet we still found there was SO much to learn out of the whole experience. Customer preferences, logistics, product testing… oh just to name a few. We did get a few things right though, exemplified by the 100+% turnover that I got out of sales. At the end of the day, it’s great to have been given such an opportunity, which is why I want to thank you, Rano! It helps a lot too that www.ranoadidas.com is the 3rd most visited site in Brunei, and not surprisingly, its author  is one the most popular figures in local innovative entrepreneurship in the country.

But most importantly, if you came to the soiree and ate from my booth, thank you too! Even if you just dropped by to say hello; I really enjoyed talking to all of you ^_^ I hope you liked the food… because some of you actually looked like you did (hehe). So here Im showing some pictures that husby took of everyone who seemed delighted with Delisioucity! Bless

Simply delighted with the Banana Crumble Tartelettes

Personally,  the event gave me an advantageous platform to gauge the market; albeit a small one. It was really my first time, proper, in running my own business unaided by the Internet. In making a presence in the blossoming local food industry, I feel slightly triumphant that day, because always in my mind since I opened up this blog, there is this desire to own a share of that lucrative food-industry pie. Besides, I’m known to easily tire of monotonous routines from work etc., and I think the food-blogging/business thing is taking my attention away quite successfully It’s sort of my take on balancing my life with reasonable doses of diversions and occasional difference… with the hope that I later get tired of it, and spring back to normality with much needed energy and inspiration.

Her daughter’s face tells it all!

You can’t fake a candid & genuine reaction to deliciousness!

Speaking of inspiration, I believe I got plenty from that event. I think chefs and cooks have the most satisfying jobs  in the world – because judging from the looks on peoples’ faces, I feel thankful and positively overwhelmed with their acceptance of the kinds of treats that I make.  Of course, my regular job can be very rewarding too ^_^ (note to my colleagues who are reading this :p ) But I suppose this is somewhat different; when you bake something and it’s made out of passion and love (and a whole heap of OCB), then  it’s completely fullfilling to see the looks of joy and contentment when the food is eaten. It’s kind of touch and go, I realise that too. All is well nonetheless. Why? Because number one, I’ve been getting a steady stream of an average 100 unique visitors per day to this website since the event, and number two, a barrage of orders right into my inbox. Unfortunately, I just do not have the capacity to make so much (believe me, the past days I’ve been wishing I had octopus tentacles). So as much as I am uber greatful for the attention, I am also very humbled and wish to convey that the reason why I put up recipes in this blog is so that everyone can try a hand at baking themselves It’s very therapeutic, mind you!

Keeran & dad running an analysis of my goods ;p They ended up being our biggest buyers!

Finally, here’s a log of some of the items available that day. If you did eat from our booth, get ready for a jog down memory lane!

Banana Crumble Tartelettes

Macarons

Cuppiepops, with Cookies & Cream cake inside

Till next time! xoxo

No, it’s not what you think. Or maybe it is. Depends really on what you were thinking. Either way, this post is not about the birds and the bees. In any case though, moms, can you please divert your child’s attention to the cartoon playing on Astro now? ^_^ Sometimes the tiniest teasers can invite unwanted questions from your children I digress much, as you can see.

Anyhow, I had an exciting project that was requested for a baby shower some weeks ago. I’ve actually always wanted to do this theme, especially after eyeing those gorgeous cutters online and the finished products in books by Peggy Porschen. Baby showers aren’t so common in Brunei, seeing that it’s not part of our traditional culture.. but I suppose a lot of transition is happening on many levels centred around the topic of fertility, ey? Not to bore you with that , here is the collection for a baby-themed cookie favour consisting of a baby onesie (jumpsuit), rattle, bottle, and block:

The tradition here however, takes in the form of a Papat Jambul ceremony (especially for the Muslims/Malays)  when the baby is a few months old, and I think there’s a specific ceremony for Chinese babies too (the name escapes me… anyone can help?). Anyhow, I reckon those would not be at all inappropriate for favours such as these

*Hopping off to my next project*

I am simply ecstatic when someone writes to me to ask if I can do this or that… which is the case with this particular project where the question was: “Do I make 1 pound cakes?”. Truthfully, I answered that I don’t quite know what those are (hehe) because I never really sell cakes by their weight. It’s something that I possibly could look into in the future, but I think it’s safe to say that 1 pound cakes are close to 6″ diameter wide cakes.. and they are really really cute!

Well, perhaps not as cute as 3″ cakes

But here you are: my take on a simple cake for a girl and a boy. Thank you A, for the inspiration and the order!

Girly Theme, with Vanilla Victoria Sponge Cake and Hazelnut Buttercream

Football Theme, with Rich Dark Chocolate Cake, Ganache filling and Valrhona Perles

Just in case you are curious, those are not pins for a corkboard ;p they’re cocktail picks, here used to pin down the satin ribbons. If anyone is interested, I am offering an Introductory Price for both cake designs, for a limited time only. The Girly theme cake, for 6″, is $30 (based on Vanilla Victoria & Hazelnut Buttercream), and the Football cake is $35 (based on the Chocolate & Ganache/Perles). They’re both rather yummy if I say so myself ^_^ Prices will change according to the cake inside., and they will change after the promotional period (up till July 31st).

I wonder how this one would look in baby blue?

The football cake is actually quite apt for the upcoming Father’s Day on 21st June!

I think I’m getting the hang of sugar-craft. Sugarpaste (or fondant, or whatever it is you call it in your country), is nothing short of the fun you get from playing with play-doh. But after a million pieces of  tiny, petite, germ-sized pea of a paste, it is safe to say that I am officially needing some good amount of R&R. That however, is nowhere down the horizon: it looks like I’ve been barraged by a stampede of orders. Which, and please don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful for ^_^. This has been one hobby that has exhumed a long dormant desire to vent out my creativity through any conduit possible. One that’s also left a big gaping hole in my purse, no less

But let’s not get too hung up on words today, shall we? I just want to showcase to you a few of the recent sugar craft  designs that I’ve managed to make the past weeks. Enjoy!

First off, He Who Lives In a Pineapple, Under the Sea.

As annoying as he is, tell me who doesn’t love this geeky piece of square sponge who couldn’t seem to pass his driving test?! (or maybe he eventually did. I have not watched him for a while). I wish I had come up with him holding his spatula though! Or a crabby patty on one hand. Ahh, the prospects.

Insides of the cake is a Rich Dark Chocolate Cake with a thick layer of Ganache filling. No, not a sponge cake. *ehem* doo be doo….

Close up, gap between the teeth and all. You can easily make the tongue by using a heart-shaped cookie cutter and chopping off the bottom part according to the shape of the ‘mouth’. Not too difficult if I must say, but just a bit of detail to tolerate with. And this cake came with a set of cupcakes, simplified, because I under-estimated the amount of time to finish the main cake. Simplified means that Spongebob has lost his eyelashes. tsk tsk.

It would’ve been better to use 3D fondant toppers instead, but that would need a lot more time to make.. Since this was a rush order to begin with (remind me to never again!!) What is the cost of these, I hear you say? The answer is: one sleepless night. And the next day I had an important appointment at work too! hehe. The secret lies in the coffee brew ;p

Next, Spiderman. Yes, stark contrast indeed.

I only have one photo of this cake because it was my second night in a week that I had no sleep at all. So I was pretty much useless with the camera by dawn (when the photo was taken). Loads of improvements to this one cake too! In principle it appeared easily executable, but in actual fact it took me an hour just to enrobe the cake!! The reason is because the cake is quite ‘tall’ or rather thick, and had an oval-ish shape. The kneading of the fondant alone took me almost an hour… and rolling it to the right size and thickness was no stroll along the park. At last it was done; though it took two layers as  I needed to cover some holes on the fondant which was a result of thinning and pulling. Boo you gravity! I also wish that the web effect was tidier.

The same order included a selection of sugar cookies: Elmos, Cookie Monsters, and Duckies. Pardon the bad lighting. Dawn was still dark; and I hate camera flashes.

Then, for the next day (yes! I made these after the ‘important appointment at work’!!) , I made simple 2D fondant toppers for some Nutella-filled cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream (which incidentally tasted very interesting). The birthday girl is a cute little toddler called Iman who is , not incidentally, my niece ^_^

Phew! And here are some more from an order made by a young mommy who is so very proud of her very talented son named Kliff. Hope you liked them Kliff! He’s into hip-hop (and has won dance competitions, at only 8 when he did!). His mum was very excited and said the fondant figurine looks just like him ^_^ Cheers Lisa!

In the lineup are his favourites: Converse shoes (well ok, ONE shoe), Transformers (I opted to make Optimus Prime), Goku the dood from Dragonball (I found out he’s got a monkey tail!), and a few hip-hop fashion and breakdance items (Nike wrist bands, breakdancer silhoutte strutting his stuff, Kliff himself in his hoodie and backpack, the infamous rock hand gesture, a radio, and a cap:

Close ups, the Converse shoe:

It took me a looooonggg time to finish this shoe, but it was so worth it ^_^ The details were insane. And the interesting part is that you can actually eat it in one bite! (Though I’d probably be sobbing in the corner if you did).

Here’s another one that tested my patience to the max, yo:

But not as bad as this one!! I know it looks simple and it’s not even 3D, but OMG it took me an hour an a half in finally making the most precise version seen here. Free hand too, as tracing was out of the picture because Optimus Prime here is very small. Ouh, say about less than the size of a 50 cent coin. Crazy, much? @_@

And the other toppers, close up:

And I have some more photos but I think I’ll stop here as this post has gotten pretty long! Till then.

I have a particular penchant for shellfishes and crustaceans. I know that in some cultures, such multiple-habitat organisms aren’t allowed or encouraged to be eaten, of course for their respective reasons. But pour moi, it is the excitement and lure of a ‘fun meal’ that keeps me hung up on things with shells. It reminds me of the good old days when, during family dinners, you can spot me and my father, the only ones left at the table, still digging in the innards of a crab or two. It was like a race to see who could outlast the other (haha)… though we never really put it that way. My mum makes the meanest coconut curry crab by the way, and just weeks ago we sampled this during a family lunch. This time around, it was me and my sister, N, who were left at the end of the meal, both eyeing on that last piece of crab. I think I ate that one, being the glutton of the two… and she conceded to slurping the milky and spicy coconut gravy to contentment ^_^

I also always ensure that I order the seafood teppanyaki when I eat out at a sushi place. It really is just for the scallop, to be honest, but less for the oyster.. as I have a slight aversion to their sandy insides. Scallops on the other hand, are extremely delicious and does not need much in terms of preparation and cooking. You do have to watch it though, because you don’t want the meat to overcook and harden. The meat is actually quite bland (though a ’sweetness’ may emerge out of any fresh seafood harvest), and I wanted to pair that with a slightly edgy and fragrant flavour. What better way than to try the secret ingredient to Catherine Zeta Jones’ scallops in the movie No Reservation: i.e. Kaffir Lime leaves?

I’ve written sometime last year how I try to incorporate kaffir lime leaves as much as I can in almost anything I cook (which soounds weird and psychotic), but trust me, it is a very precious and fragrant ingredient. It feels twice as good to be validated that it is as much a secret ingredient to me as it is in that fictional movie (though I know the recipes  were actually developed by a real chef). Though I don’t always remember that I have kaffir lime leaves stored in the freezer, this time around the scallops seemed the perfect opportunity for reacquaintance. I’ll also have you know that my second favourite fragrant in the world is that of the ginger flower bud (or Bunga Kantan), which you may be familiar with from Thai cuisine.

Pair these two together, and  you will have a tiny explosion in your palate that you will swear never again to eat fast food.  So here you are, my take on a wonderfully fragrant and flavourful dish:

Panfried Scallop with Mushroom, in Kaffir Lime Leaves and Ginger Flower Creme Sauce
By Nikki. A @ delisioucity.com

10 pieces of fresh scallops, cleaned and patted dry
3 pcs kaffir lime, shredded thinly
1 inch ginger flower bud, sliced thinly
1 stalk of leek, chopped thinly
A handful of fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 Tbspn heavy cream or whipping cream
2 Tbspn chicken stock
Spray of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Ensure that your scallops have been patted dry. In a pan, spray some olive oil and heat for 2 minutes. Make sure it is hot enough for a quick pan-sear of the scallops. Add scallops, sear for 2 minutes each on both surfaces, and no longer. Remove from heat. in the same pan, sautee the garlic until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sautee further. Add leaves and flower, and cook further. Add cream and chicken stock, and the leeks. Finally incorporate with the cooked scallops and season to taste.

*Tears of joy ensue.

I know, I know… my last post was yonks ago. I have very good reasons for what people in the “industry” call ‘being on hiatus’. But I won’t bore you with them! I’m just glad to be back, and with loads of updates too ^_^ I’m starting with this one; a set of cupcakes with a graduation theme which I made for one of my friends (thanks doll!). She had ordered a cupcake each for all of her coursemates studying at our main university, who sat for their final final exams and now ready to get back to work as teachers. Don’t you just envy them?! They get to graduate a second time!

Well, not till September at least! Anyway, beneath all that fondant are the latest addition to my repertoire: Double Chocolate Fudgey Walnut Brownie cupcakes.

Just as it sounds, it’s a cupcake version of a brownie. Flaky and crusty on the top, fudgey and extremely gooey on the inside. It’s an absolutely decadent recipe that I adapted from Julia Child, but added significantly more chocolate (boo ya!) which is inserted in the middle of each cupcake to create a filling that melts as it bakes in the oven or when you reheat in the microwave. Yes, quite lava-cake like to be honest. Studded with walnuts generously strewn about in each brownie, and topped with a whipped ganache, this cupcake is easily worth ‘one hundred million calories*’.

I kid you not.

*said in the tone of Adam Sandler, Bedtime Stories*

For a simpler, lesser-calorie version (and also cheaper by the dozen!), I’ve now reduced the chocolate content and cut down on the walnuts (which are quite expensive and made the first version too costly to sell.. though I did manage to get a few orders). You may find this simplified version listed in The Cupcake Menu link on the sidebar ^_^

Happy eating!

Dessert First! Blueberry-Lemon Tartelette

Somewhere in the cesspits of my exhausted cerebrum there lies a reminder that did not sound its alarm when it was supposed to. I had forgotten to “celebrate” Delisioucity’s first year anniversary! I knew the first time I published on blogspot was a year ago in May, but somehow I assumed it was somewhere mid-month… when it’s actually early May! Nevermind that, yes. Besides, when I moved to my own dot com, I vouched to celebrate that migration instead Nonetheless, who says you need to have a reason just to whip up some dessert? (And a whole dinner party for four!) BUT, the food needs to be eaten of course,.. so I thought it would be apt to call a couple of friends for a small din-din and a celebratory post.

We don’t often have people come around the house, other than my nephews and nieces who occassioanally come by to play the Wii and finish my baking surpluses. Dinners with family and friends, I can count. I am  therefore making it a point from now on to have more dinner parties (ok, eating fest?) when I can manage it. Reason? Because hosting can be so much fun. And because it makes my day to see satisfied faces and hear the sounds of “mmmmm~ it feels yummy in my tummy!” In fact, I have a new-found source of satisfaction: the heavy, drooping eyelids of a friend, ready to roll into bed, two minutes after finishing his main course. Pure joy that was. But let me start with the dessert first (as usual)

Blueberry and Lemon Tartelettes
(adapted from Desserts, Murdoch Books Test Kitchen)

375g ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry (I made my own pate sucree – mail me if you need the recipe and method)
125g caster sugar
3 eggs
3 Tbspns buttermilk
1 Tbspn lemon juice
2 tspns grated lemon zest
2.5 Tbspns custard powder
250g blueberries
Icing sugar for dusting

Roll out pastry, and press into tartelette moulds. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, then bake blind. Remember that if you are making your own pastry, do not overhandle or knead (just roll it out); and when baking blind, ensure that you put in a layer of parchment on the pastry, held down with rice or beans. Baking blind should take about 10 minutes at 200c. Remove parchment, and reduce heat to 180C and proceed to bake for another 5   minutes just to dry out the bottom of the pastry case. I somehow did not manage to do this still, so perhaps to start with 200C may be a bit too much. As a result the custard filling seeped through the casing and you can see the dried mixture at the bottom in the picture above! Remove the cases from the oven, and make the filling.

Filling: beat eggs and sugar till fluffy and pale. Addbuttermilk, juice, zest and custard powder. Fill in just enough into the pastry cases and bake at 165C for 15  minutes or until the  pastry is golden and the filling is set. Cool on a wire rack and top with blueberries. Dust the icing sugar when completely cool so you don’t get sugar melting into the tartelette, and just to ensure you get a nice snowy effect

This is a very simple recipe that requires little planning, except if you are making your own pastry crust.  The filling is made with custard powder. Since I am not a big fan of custards, the leftover tartelettes are testament to how some desserts can indeed be an acquired tase (gasp, i know). Next time, remind me to use a frangipane recipe instead..  personally this was uninteresting to my palate, but our guests enjoyed them, and that was all that mattered

Next, I’ll run you my own recipes for a chic appetizer, soup, and main course. Brace yourself for a long post and some food porn.

No, the leeks weren’t the appetizers. The pastry was. Like many things pastry, and I’ve said this before, they’re extremely easy to transform into wonderful pieces of artsy and chic food. This is provided that you make the pastry carefully (again, with cold fingers & plenty of ‘resting’) OR get them already made. The readily available puff pastries are pretty good, so don’t worry about making your own pate feuilletee, inversee or otherwise for this one. Lest you desire to stress yourself out

Mozarrella, Tomato and Capsicum with Poppy Seed Entree
(by Nikki. A @ delisioucity)

2 sheets puff pastry, cut into small squares
1 egg, beaten
120g mozarella cheese
1 tomato
1/2 yellow capsicum
Poppy seeds
Black pepper

Lightly brush one layer of pastry with egg, and place another layer on it. Brush the top layer again, and dump a tablespoon of shreaded mozarella on it. Cut the tomato and capsicum julienne, and place on top of the cheese. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top, and pepper to taste. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 175C, or until the pastry puffs up adequately and turns golden. Serve immediately as an entree, on a fancy schmancy platter

Next, Creamy Pumpkin-Carrot Soup with Cumin and Cinnamon.

Now when I was calling H to invite him to the dinner, I told him what I was serving and immediately he said ‘MMmmmm! pumpkin soup!” I suppose the beauty of well-made pumpkin soup lies in the seasoning and the smoothness of the texture. I was floored when I tried Senor Pablo’s version at his abode, which is simple and healthy. This is my take on the soup that everyone loves, with the much added calories mind you

Creamy Pumpkin-Carrot Soup wih Cumin and Cinnamon
(By Nikki A. @ delisioucity)

Half a medium pumpkin, cubed
2 cups water
1 carrot, cubed
1.5 cup chicken stock (use the real thing by boiling chicken with onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, salt and pepper)
2 Tbspn cumin powder
1 Tbspn cinnamon powder
3 Tbspn Olive oil
1 cup cream
1/2 Tbspn black pepper
Salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, boil the pumpkin and carrot together in water until soft. Drain away. Heat olive oil and add cumin and cinnamon powder. Gently stir till fragrant. Add chicken stock, pumpkin and carrot. Let simmer. Add cream and seasoning and let sit on the stove on low heat until the carrots are pulpy. Cool, and use an immersion blender to smoothen the texture of the soup. Serve with croutons.

Croutons
(By Nikki A. @ delisioucity)

Day-old bread of your choice (I used country grain)
3 Tbspn clarified butter

Cut the bread into small squares or diamonds. Heat a pan with the clarified butter and toast the bread. Make sure all of the bread is coated by gently stirring and tossing them about in the pan.

I have to admit, the soup definitely stole the night as everyone agreed that it was really good. This is one recipe I am soooo going to overuse. Husby, being the perfect gourmand, thought the soup + croutons tasted like murtabak. Geez. On the other hand, H thought it tasted authentically Moroccan, and both he and M were very happy to have second and third helpings and ate this with their main course.  I need to research on this: is pumpkin soup Moroccan in origin?? Or was it the cumin. Hmm, scratching head.

Let’s finally move on to the main course! This was a Roasted Chicken with Cumin, Maple Golden Syrup and Parsley.

This dish is cooked twice. I boiled the chicken first (with the spices listed in the soup recipe before), and got a pretty good stock out of it. Then, marinate for two hours with the forthcoming concoction, and roast for an hour at 180C. The marinate nicely resonates the taste of the pumpkin soup.

Roasted Chicken Marinate
(By Nikki A. @ delisioucity)

For two chickens.

1 cup olive oil
Juice from half a lemon
2 Tbspns lemon zest
A bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbspn cumin powder
1 Tbspn cinnamon posder
3 Tbspn Lyle’s Golden Syrup, maple flavour (or simply maple syrup or replace with honey)

Mix everything in and brush on the chicken. Leave for two hours in the fridge to marinate.

Make sure you include the spices from the boiling process into the roast. I also left the skin on this time so that it appears golden and he meat to cook nicely without drying too much.

Whew! What a way to “celebrate”. I wasn’t kidding when both my husby and our friend H started to look like a pair of sleepy snakes by the end of the meal. Finally, our two friends left with a favour: remember the sables that I made in the previous post? So plenty of people actually asked what the pegs were for. And no, I did not use them for kneading the dough :p Here they are, et simple too! Instead of ribbons, use tiny decorative pegs to secure your favour bags for a chic twist. I wouldv’e used a glassine paper bag but I just could not find one here other than make them myself. Ah well, perhaps next time! In the next years to come, hopefully I’ll develop more creative things to share

“I imagine pastries that I would love to
eat myself. For me, the most important
thing is to please the palate”
- Pierre Herme -

The crisp, crunchy and crumbly shortbread biscuits known as ‘sable‘ (sandy) is an excellent pairing with a cup of coffee. It is also just too easy to make, but like many things in pastry, you have to pay attention to the process and the amount of ingredients that make for precise chemistry. The recipe here is derived from The Cook’s Book, edited by Jill Norman; and specifically from the section on Pastry & Sweet Doughs by monsieur Herme. I adjusted a few things, just because.

Sables Diamant Vanille
(Makes 50) adapted from Pierre Herme, The Cook’s Book

230g unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces
105g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used Nielsen Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla beans)
1/4 tsp salt (fleur de sel)
330g all purpose flour
Sugar crystals, demerara sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, colourful pearls (whatever you like)

Beat butter in a mixer until creamy. Add sugar, and continue to beat. Add extract, and salt. Then sift the flour and incorporate into the batter until you get a dough. Roll into a ball and refrigerate (preferably overnight, but one hour is good enough). Roll into a sausage with parchment paper, and once that is formed, spread some pearl sugar/ sugar crystals or whatever you desire and roll the dough on them so that the surface is coated fully. Wrap the sausages in parchment, and leave in the freezer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm up the oven to 180C. Continue rolling the remaining dough, but do not knead or overwork them! Take the frozen sausage dough out and cut into coins with a sharp knife. Bake for 20-22 minutes and prepare your coffee! Boo ya.

Oh did I tell you that I am in absolute admiration for all things Pierre Herme? I suppose it all began with the macaron. Then I started reading on him and began to adore his generosity – both in the fact that he gives  macarons away on the annual Macaron Day (in France), and that he is never stingy in sharing his recipes and techniques. J’adore!! Ultimately, and the bottom line is: I love his work. His beautiful beautiful desserts, especially the Ispahan macaron spinoffs (desserts made with rose, lychee/litchi, and raspberries) – are works of art. I wish I could just eat them all without gaining the subsequent poundage

Nonetheless, desserts and patisseries can certainly be enjoyed sans the guilt, provided it is done in moderation. I have to say that this is easier said than done though. If you could just imagine that whilst these sables were cooling off, prying hands could be seen to land on one biscuit after another! hehe.  I suppose the butterfly (or is that a moth?) made its way into our kitchen possibly because of the sheer fragrant of the baking sables. This really is a simple, yet warm and delicious treat. And man, does it just melt in your mouth! I need to hand you down some tips when making these though, as you need to keep the dough “short” by working very minimally with it. So, if making these in the absence of a food processor or a mixer, ensure that you dont knead the batter too much. And if possible, cut the butter into the flour with a cold knife, or rub with cold fingers. Yes, you need them cold :p

For such a simple and quick recipe, and yet divine to the palate, I thank PH for ‘le inspirations’ that he gives me and many others. Of course, this is much a classic (or rather, ’stelama’) biscuit that all moms have in the their recipe books. In the middle of making these, I couldn’t help but recall the times when I was a little girl  – and amongst the many things we made for Eid celebrations. This was definitely one of them.  Food and fond memories? Priceless.

(if you are wondering what the clothes pincers are doing in the previous picture, I’ll put up in my next post their use with regards to the biscuits )

Quote from urban dictionary’s definition of BFF:

This simply stands for best friend forever. A BFF is someone who has been there for you at all times and will listen to what ever you have to say. They will call you just to see how you are, but that’s if they’re not with you at the moment. Usually, a BFF is someone you’ve known most of your life and have been through a lot with them.

Thad: Dude, why are you always with Yamila?
Sonny: It’s simple, she’s my BFF.

Greg: What does BFF stand for?
Sonny: Best Friend Forever, idiot.

Haha

I was out with three of my BFFs (haha) during the weekend and had a really good time doing our usual random things. One thing that’s never random is of course, dining. Thinking that we had stuffed our faces for lunch and that a light dinner would do, we proceeded to a coffee-place, apparently ‘just for drinks’. That is, until the menu was read!

The venue was CoffeZone. I had their lamb cutlet, well done, and in black pepper sauce. With two heaps (or rather, generous quenelles) of mashed potato, it was a match made in the cesspits of gastronomic heaven. For a small/short person, this dish was a bit too much for me to be honest, and even my inner glutton couldn’t finish it up. But a pretty good and tender meat can never go wrong, especially when the chef did it spot on to the diner’s request. The mash too, was creamy and ultimately did me in with respect to a filling effect. I was very satisfied, I fank you.

The drink for me was comme ci comme ca though, and for a place called Coffeezone, my coffee drink wasn’t precisely memorable. They could truly do without the outdated (read: not classic) decor of the run-of-the-mill loveletter/wafer jutting-out-of-the-drink ensemble. T’s lemony drink was ok I suppose, at least we made plenty of jokes about the devil’s fork stir-er that was in the drink. And she seemed to have gulped her espresso cup in a blink ^_^ J also had two drinks:  a green tea  delight which was very nice (according to him), and a ‘normal’ moccachino. M was well stuffed and only had garlic bread which we shamelessly helped ourselves with Her drink? Can’t recall to be honest..

All in all, a pretty swell service from the attendants is what I really wanted to write about. I know of a lot of restaurants and diners here in Brunei that have excellent food but ultimately poor service. Some will not even apologise or have the decency to say please and thank you, and that’s an awfully common trait over here, for some reason. One thing I really loathe about some establishments is the fact that the waiters would hover about your table for the entire length of your meal, making you extremely conscious of your gob and the crummies that may be hanging about on your chin For some reason, their training probably included getting indoctrinated with a mantra on invading the privacies of their clientele whilst they eat! There is a fine line between being attentive, waiting hand and foot; and being just a plain nuisance. And coffeezone, at least that night, seemed to know the difference. So well done on that ^_^