Summer Eats

Starter:

Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleon with Balsamic-Basil Vinaigrette
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-potato-and-goat-cheese-napoleon-with-balsamic-basil-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

Pineapple Polenta Squares with Shrimp
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pineapple-polenta-squares-with-shrimp-recipe/index.html

Soup:Watermelon Gazpacho
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/watermelon-gazpacho-recipe/index.html

Balsamic Glaze: 2 cups balsamic vinegar Heat the vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from the liquid. Place the saucepan on a heat diffuser and let the liquid reduce very slowly (it shouldn't simmer) for 2 to 3 hours, until it has reduced and thickened to a syrupy glaze. There should be approximately = cup of glaze. Keep the glaze in a squeeze bottle at room temperature for garnishing: if the glaze is too thick, warm the bottle in hot water to loosen the glaze. To complete: Ladle the cold soup into bowls and squeeze dots of balsamic glaze over the top.

Main:

Tangerine-Maple Glazed Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/tangerine-maple-glazed-chicken-thighs-and-drumsticks-recipe/index.html

Desert:

Grilled Bananas Foster
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/grilled-bananas-foster-recipe/index.html

Outdoor Grilling

The photographer apologizes for showing up late and hence taking photos pretty much in the dark (they did not turn out great - sorry).

May's Brunch

Passover/Good Friday

Galette des Rois (Three Kings Cake) & Almond paste recipe

Chef's Note

The three kings' cake or galette, made from puff pastry in which a bean is hidden (to determine the king or queen of the day) is a staple of classical French cuisine.

Ingredients

- 250 g (9 oz.) puff pastry

- 1 egg yolk, thinned with a drop or two of water

- almond paste

- 1 dry bean

Method

1. Divide the puff pastry in half; roll out to form two discs;
2. place the first disc on a baking sheet; spread a layer of almond paste on top; place the bean inside; cover with the second circle of pastry;
3. using a knife, create a decorative pattern on the top of the pastry; brush with the beaten egg yolk;
4. bake at 180° C (350° F) for 20-25 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

ALMOND PASTE

Ingredients: 10 oz dried blanched almonds 10 oz powdered sugar 5 oz sugar 1/4 cup corn syrup 1 cup water Directions: Make a sugar syrup with by placing the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Stir it to combine. Bring it to a boil and let if boil for a few seconds. Let is cool. Blanch almonds by pouring boiling water over them in a bowl, enough to cover. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain, rinse with cold water again, drain. Almonds should now be ready to be popped out of shell. Dry then proceed to next step. Place the almonds in a food processor and process them to a fine powder. Add the powdered sugar. With the food processor running, slowly add the sugar syrup until the mixture forms a paste. Store the almond paste tightly covered. If you will be storing it for more than a week, store in the refrigerator.

Tapenade

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 8 anchovy fillets
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Directions

Combine the olives, capers, anchovies and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse 3 times. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and parsley and process until chunky.

Serve on toasts.

Bouillabaisse Recipe

Bouillabaisse Recipe

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Ingredients

· 3 pounds of at least 3 different kinds of fish fillets, fresh or quick frozen (thaw first)

· 1/2 cup Olive oil

· 1 cup cooked shrimp, crab, or lobster meat, or rock lobster tails

· 1 cup thinly sliced onions

· 4 Shallots, thinly sliced OR the white parts of 2 or 3 leeks, thinly sliced

· 2 cloves garlic, crushed

· 1 large tomato, chopped, or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes

· 1 sweet red pepper, chopped

· 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced

· 2-inch slice of fennel or 1 teaspoon of fennel seed

· 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

· 1 bay leaf

· 2-3 whole cloves

· Zest of half an orange

· 1/2 teaspoon powdered saffron

· 2 teaspoons salt

· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

· 1 cup clam juice or fish broth

· 2 Tbps lemon juice

· 2/3 cup white wine

· Sliced French bread

Method

1 Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large (6-qt) saucepan. When it is hot, add onions and shallots (or leeks). Sauté for a minute, then add crushed garlic (more or less to taste), and sweet red pepper. Add tomato, celery, and fennel. Stir the vegetables into the oil with a wooden spoon until well coated. Then add another 1/4 cup of olive oil, thyme, bay leaf, cloves and the orange zest. Cook until the onion is soft and golden but not brown.

2 Cut fish fillets into 2-inch pieces. Add the pieces of fish and 2 cups of water to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Add shrimp, crabmeat or lobster tails, cut into pieces or left whole.

3 Add saffron, salt, pepper. Add clam juice, lemon juice, and white wine. Bring to a simmer again and cook about 5 minutes longer.

4 At serving time taste and correct the seasoning of the broth, adding a little more salt or pepper if need be, and maybe a touch of lemon juice. Into each soup bowl place a thick slice of crusty French bread, plain or slightly toasted. Spoon the bouillabaisse over the bread. If desired, serve with Sauce Rouille.

Directions for Sauce Rouille:

1 Tbsp hot fish stock or clam broth.
2 cloves peeled garlic
1 small red hot pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soft white bread, pulled into bits (French bread of the bouillabaise)
1/2 cup olive oil

Put hot fish stock or clam broth into the bottom of a blender. Add garlic and red hot pepper, salt and bread. Blend until very smooth. With the blender still running, add olive oil slowly and stop the blending as soon as the oil disappears.

At serving time pass Rouille in a little bowl along with the bouillabaisse. Each serving is about 1/2 a teaspoon that you stir into your soup. Use gingerly like Tabasco.

New Year, New Recipes

Last Bit of 2009 - Penny's Party

TOM YAM SOUP
Ingredients:½ lb chicken sliced
1 packet fishballs
1 packet oyster mushroom
4 cups water
3 tbsp Tom yam paste2 tbsp lime juice1 tbsp fish sauceFried garlic, spring onions and coriander for garnishing
Marinate:1 tbsp rice wine1/2 tsp salt1 tsp sugar

Method:Marinate prawns with salt, sugar and rice wine for at least 15 minutes.Bring the prawn stock to the boil and add in the tom yam paste and stir to combine.Add in prawns and as soon as prawns turn pink, add in the lime juice and fish sauce.Serve hot with garnishes.

TAMARIND PRAWNS
Ingredients:l lb large prawns (shrimps)4 tbsp tamarind concentrate1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground white pepper1 tablespoon sugar½ teaspoon fish sauceOil for frying

Method:If using prawns with heads on, trim off eye portions and legs of prawns, but leave unpeeled.

In a mixing bowl, combine thick tamarind concentrate, salt, pepper, sugar and fish sauce.
Mix in prawns and leave for 15 minutes.
Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of nonstick skillet/frying pan until hot.
Fry prawns in batches to prevent overcrowding, over moderate heat for 3-5 minutes or until prawns are cooked.

ACAR / SPICY PICKLED VEGETABLES
Ingredients :1 cucumber - (removed the seeds) and cut into 4cm strips150g cabbage leaves, cut into 2.5cm squares2 carrots cut into 4cm strips150g long beans, cut into 4cm strips
To make into paste:6 fresh chillies5 dried chillies –soak in hot water until soft6 shallots2 cloves garlic2 cm fresh turmeric root/1 tbsp ground turmeric1” galangal (lengkuas)3 candlenuts/almond or macadamia nuts1 stalk lemon grass, sliced finely1” of shrimp paste (belachan) - optional

Vinegar mixture:1 cup of white vinegar1 cup water6 tbsp of brown sugar (more if you like it sweeter)1 tsp salt200g roasted peanuts, skinned and pounded5 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
For blanching the vegetables:600ml water400ml vinegar2 tbsp salt2 tbsp sugar

Method :
1. Rub cucumber slices with 1 tbsp salt. Leave aside for one hour. Wrap in clean towel or muslin cloth and squeeze out excess liquid. Put all the ground ingredients in a food processor and ground into paste and set it aside.
2. Bring water, vinegar, salt and sugar for blanching vegetables to a rapid boil. Blanch the vegetables (except cucumber) one type at a time for 15 second. Remove and using a clean kitchen towel, squeezed the water out of the vegetable and set it aside.
3. Heat up about 3-4 tbsp of oil in frying pan and stir-fry the ground ingredients until fragrant and the oil begins to separate. Stir in water and vinegar. Add sugar and salt and bring to a boil, then leave to cool completely. Check seasoning as you might need to add more sugar to it.
4. Stir in all the prepared vegetables, peanuts and sesame seeds. Store in a clean jar and refrigerate.

EGGPLANT WITH MINCED MEAT
Ingredients:
2 Japanese/Asian eggplants1 piece chicken breast/or any type of protein – minced2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped2 shallots - sliced thinly2 small red chilies – sliced thinly1 tbsp of fermented bean paste (tau cheong)1 tbsp of sugar1 tsp of dark soy sauce2 tbsp of soy sauce½ cup of water + 1/2 tsp of cornstarch2 spring onion – diced small

Method:
1. Clean and cut the eggplant into 1” length. Season with some olive oil and salt and steam on high heat until soft.
2. While the eggplant is steaming, cook the sauce. Heat up a tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan, stir fry garlic and shallots until fragrant and lightly brown.
3. Add in the fermented bean paste, stir-fry for a few second and add in the meat and chilies. Continue to stir-fry until the meat changes color.
4. Add in all the seasoning and the water. Bring it up to boil and cook until sauce reduce and thicken. Check seasoning.
5. Pour sauce over the steamed eggplant and sprinkle the top with some spring onion. Serve warm.

SPICY STIR-FRY CLAM
Ingredients:
1 lb clams - if fresh - soak in salt water for 1 hr and drain dry - if frozen, do not thaw
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp dried prawns, soaked
2 tbsp curry leaves
10 shallots, chopped
5 chilli padi/red jalepeno chopped
Seasoning
1/2 tsp taucheong/mein see/fermented soya bean paste
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
dash of chicken stock granules
Cornstarch and water for thickeningMethod:
Heat 2 tbsp oil and saute dried prawns until fragrant.
Add in curry leaves, shallots, chilli padi and stir-fry until aromatic.
Add in the clams/la la, seasonings and stir fry at high heat until well mixed.
Cover with a lid, cook for 2 minutes until clams/la la are opened.
Thicken with corn flour and water, mix well and dish up.


SAGO MELON DESSERT
Ingredients:1 cantaloupe4 tbsp of sago pearls (soak in cold water for half an hour)125ml evaporated milk150ml water2-3 tbsp sugar (more if you like it sweeter)

Method :
1 Bring about 4 cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Add in sago pearls and bring it up to boil. Once it boils, continue to stir for a minutes and then turn off the heat and cover the saucepan. Leave it for 20 minutes. At this stage the sago pearls should be transparent.
2 Drain the sago from the hot water in a strainer, rinse under cold running water until it cools down and water runs clear and set aside.
3 Peel and cut mango into cubes. Set aside some of the cut mango for garnish.
4 Blended the rest of the mango, sugar with the 50 ml of water until smooth.
5 In a mixing bowl, mix the blended mango, cubed mango, mango juice and milk. Stir well. Add in the sago pearls and stir until well combined.
6 Chill before serving.

*Note: If mixture is too thick you can always add extra milk or mango juice to it.