Pudding Galore

Yesterday, we had a birthday tea party, with all the usual dishes: biscuits, scones, cupcakes, etc:

But what do you do with all the cut-off crusts from the sandwiches? Make bread and butter pudding! Also a great way to get rid of all the double cream in the house.

I copied this recipe on BBC Good Food. Next time, I will add more sugar, as it did not turn out very sweet (still very good when accompanied by custard).
I made one traditional one and two variations (one with chinese 5-spice and one with chocolate powder). They turned out very interesting: the one with the 5-spice ended up being very savoury, while the chocolate one was just decadent (I had a very heavy hand with the powder).

Did make a little too much, but my flatmates didn't complain. <3

A meaty vegetable dish

Wasn't very hungry today, but had to use up some bok choy. Ended up steaming them in OXO beef stock, nothing else. Would repeat again: the meat flavour went very well with the texture of the vegetable, and it was very easy to do. Could even imagine it as a main dish, with a few more ingredients.

Sadly, forgot to take a picture before eating, so here's a pretty photograph of bok choy I pulled from google:

Credit Steamy Kitchen.

Cheating

Perhaps it's not the best idea to have one of the first few entries of your cooking blog describing how to get around cooking from scratch, however this post got written anyway. (I will blame my new job, if necessary. Not only does it keep me busy, but I keep on getting given so much food at work that I haven't been able to cook).

Harry Balzer, a researcher at NPD group, has been documenting cooking trends in the U.S. for decades. His definition of "cooking from scratch" means to making a dish requiring an "assembly of elements." Of course this refers to things such as egg, prosciutto, artichokes, olives, mozzarella, tomato sauce& basil on a homemade pizza base. Or it can apply to unwrapping a $1/£1 pizza from your local supermarket and adding a couple of slices of pepperoni and extra grated cheese.

With this in mind, I try to "cook" at least part of every meal I eat at home. Sometimes I manage to make the entire meal. Sometimes, I throw together a salad to go with the quiche. Sometimes, I just "upgrade" pre-made food, making it nicer by adding extra ingredients or spices (I am generally a big fan of both approaches).

Making things from scratch? Still a lot of fun, and definitely a sense of accomplishment. But sadly, I'm not a stay-at-home housewife, who has three hours to prepare dinner every day.

I've heard all sorts of criticisms about store-brought food, from being made with inferior ingredients, to costing more than the sum of the ingredients, to possible additives. Those people push organic ingredients and cooking from scratch. Leaving aside the point about organic food (save that I am wary of how the label is used and skeptical about true value for cost), cooking from scratch is not really possible. As Balzer points out, once upon a time, roasting a chicken would involve killing, plucking, and gutting the bird yourself. Its possible to get a live chicken in many Asian cities (and western ones with a significant immigrant population and friendly livestock legislation), however most modern cooks would not consider these steps as essential to the experience of cooking from scratch. However, in terms of processing, there's very little difference between the neatly packaged container of raw chicken thighs and the neatly packaged container of pre-cooked BBQ chicken thighs. In both scenarios, you can take the chicken home, add some rosemary and coriander, and stick it in the oven. Essentially, you are relying (and paying for) someone else to simplify part of the process for you. What's more important is that you consider what you have vs. what you want as an end result, and add stuff as necessary.

So, I cook as time and effort allows. But it's ALWAYS worth the extra five minutes to chop up some vegetables to throw into the pasta sauce, or adding a dash of basil and oregano on top of the store-brought lasagna.

These are "improvements" to store-brought food, which can technically be called "cooking."

Vanilla Ice Cream with Whipped Cream, Berries, and Disaronno

Chocolate Cake with Strawberry

Yoghurt with Kiwi, Cherries, Grapes, and Plums

References: Pollan, Michael. Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch. New York Times, July 29, 2009.

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Salad

After morning yoga, I felt like having a light lunch:

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Salad
   40g diced butternut squash
   40g diced sweet potato
   1 white onion, sliced into wedges
   100g salad mix (here: peashoots, lettuce, spinach, and red chard)
   10g sunflower oil
   1/4 teaspoon sugar
   pinch salt
   sweet balsamic dressing (I recommend Pukara Estate Carmelised Australian Balsamic Vinegar)

Heat oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the butternut squash, sweet potato, and onion. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Cover with a lid from a smaller pot (so the lid rests directly on the food). Cook until the bottom layer browns and starts to go black.

In the meantime, wash, chop, and make any other preparations for the rest of the salad.  Add the balsamic vinegar to taste.

When the onions begin to caramelise, take the pan off the stove and add to salad. Tada!

As usual with what I make, the proportions or even exact ingredients in this recipe are not fixed in stone. Swap out anything in the salad mix based on your preferences. Add a bit of paparika to the butternut squash for a bit of a kick. As for oil, any type will do but keep in mind that strong-flavoured ones like olive oil will flavour the food.

Adding a kick: this salad would be great with some goat cheese, sliced chorizo, or bacon bits. Sadly, I did not have any in the kitchen.

Recipe: Pancaking

Going to attempt one of the "how to" recipe pages that I think there isn't enough of on the internet. So here it goes:

I make two types of pancakes, thin European crepes (can be savoury or sweet), and fluffy American pancakes (sweet, though they can be eaten with savoury meats). If you start with crepes, you can tweak the batter halfway through to switch.

European crepes

Ingredients:
  1 cup flour
  2 eggs
  2 cups milk
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon sugar
   melted butter or oil, as needed (I use vegetable oil)

Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl. Gradually add flour, salt, and sugar until blended.

Add melted butter or oil to a frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot and the butter completely coats the pan, pour about a fist-sized amount of batter, then quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion so the batter rolls around and forms a circle.

Tip: use a measuring cup or small pitcher to pour out your batter.

Cook for about two minutes, until the bottom starts to brown. Flip it over and repeat on the other side.

Tip: the pan will get hotter and hotter as you go along, so you will need to wait slightly less time with every pancake.

Sweet suggestions: lemon and sugar, berries and whip cream, or banana and nutella
Savoury suggestions (what was used here): halloumi, mozzarella, peppers, onions, chilli flakes, spring onions

 
Variations: Add ingredients to the pan before pouring the batter, rather than as toppings. Be sure to scrap off the bottom of the pan between pancakes.

American pancakes

Ingredients:
  1 cup flour
  2 eggs
  1 cup milk
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon sugar
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  melted butter or oil, as needed

Mix everything in a bowl like with crepes, making sure there are no lumps. Or, if you're using the crepe batter, just add another cup of flour and the baking soda.

Oil and heat a frying pan, and pour out some batter (however big you want your pancakes--you can even play around with shapes here). After about two minutes (when the bottom is browned), flip the pancake and repeat.

Serve with syrup, butter or whipped cream, and fresh fruit. Accompany with sausage or bacon if desired.

Variations: add blueberries, chocolate chips, or chocolate powder to batter (does not work as well when pouring the batter, so you will need to use a ladle). I also tried adding sliced bananas to the pan, which turned out delicious.

Chocolate pancakes!

Banana pancakes!

A Mission Statement, Of Sorts

Heya!

So after thinking about doing this all summer, I finally got around to creating a site where I can post all the lovely things I've been making (three days before starting a new job!)

I'm very much a self-taught cook. I tend to approach recipes based on inspiration: either I'm trying to figure out what to do with various ingredients, or else I start craving something. If it's the latter situation, I treat cooking a bit like a puzzle: take what I know about a dish (and I must have eaten it before) and break it down into ingredients. Then look it up online.

   Confession 1: I have no patience for videos.

Life's too short to spend a half hour watching someone explain how to braise meat. Or even five minutes on how to cut an onion. I'd much rather read a neat article and look at a few pictures.

I also tweak recipes constantly, because I can't be bothered buying all the ingredients, or I don't have the right equipment, or because I am somewhat health conscious. After all, I can eat out if I want something greasy but satisfying. It's also an excellent way to play around with spices and what I think of as mini-ingredients (all the little things you add to a dish to give it a twist).

However, this reluctance to follow the recipe has occassionally led me astray. Which leads to...

   Confession 2: I'm a terrible baker.

I'm not an instinctive baker at all. I'm also very careless, and there's less room for error (or at least warning signs). Thus, expect few sweets, as much as I love them. Or bread.

I've been cooking a storm this summer, so there is a bit of a backlog of foodporn. Thanks to globalisation and the very cosmopolitan city I live in, dishes can span the globe, though I primarily cook western.

So, without further ado, here are some of the things I've made in the past few weeks:

Stove top pizza

Ratatouille

Garden Salad and Balsamic Glaze

Baked pears with homemade chocolate sauce

Carrot and onion topped mushrooms

Chicken Pad Thai

(Recipes, or loose approximations, available on request).