Tiramisu

Tiramisu is definitely one of my favourites. Not only it is easy to make, it is very tasty too. What can go wrong with mixing coffee and cream?

I found pictures dated back in 2005 where I made the first Tiramisu for Christmas. Since then, it has been my tradition to have it every year....almost! Here are some pictures of Tiramisu I have made recently.

I am quite pleased to see the improvement in the cake presentation.

This is the adapted recipe from Y3K Cookbooks.

Ingredients:
1 packet of sponge fingers

Coffee mixture:
75 grams of instant coffee granules
500 ml boiling water
50 ml of Kahlua liqueur

Tiramisu Cream:
5 egg yolks
250 grams of castor sugar
250 grams of mascarpone cheese
500 grams of whipping cream

1. To make coffee mixture, dissolve instant coffee in boiling water. Mix in Kahlua liqueur after the mixture has cooled down.

2. To make the Tiramisu cream, beat egg yolks and sugar on high speed until soft peaks form. Add in mascarpone cheese and beat on medium speed until well-combined.

3. In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream until firm.

4. Fold in whipped cream into no 2.

5. To assemble the cake, dip sponge fingers in coffee mixture. Place in a single layer over the loose-bottomed baking pan.

6. Spread half the tiramisu cream over sponge fingers.

7. Repeat layers with sponge fingers dipped in coffee mixture and tiramisu cream.

8. Refrigerate overnight and decorate as you wish.
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Bamboo Basket

The Bamboo Basket reminds us of our favourite restaurant in Malaysia, Dragon - I.  Although it may not come close in terms taste, it is one of the best we’ve had in Brisbane.

To get your taste buds racing, the restaurant allows passers-by to see right into the kitchen where the chefs craft their delicious dumplings. Looking on, they make it look so simple as they churn out perfectly simmetrical dumplings one after the other.

My favourite is definitely the Xiao Lung Bao (soup dumpling). Delicious soup broth with succulent pork - a recipe for success.

Another pleasant surprise was found in the deep fried prawn wonton. Even though it is deep fried, we could still taste the freshness of the filling.

Next, we tried 'Shan Dong Style' pork dumplings which appear to be a steamed dumpling that has also been pan fried on one side, leading to an interesting mix of textures. Whilst not our favourite, we still give it a Thumbs up for the fresh, juicy pork and interesting and crispy pancake-like crust.

For mains, we shared a spicy hand-pulled soup noodle with sesame and peanuts (Dan Dan Mien). Simple but delicious.

Overall the meal was a bit pricey when compared to other Asian restaurants. But given the ambience and location, it's actually one of the more affordable restaurants around and definitely worth a visit.

This is our second visit to Bamboo Basket and it certainly will not be our last, as long as they keep serving up those delicious Xiao Lung Bao (soup dumpling) at least.


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Heart-shaped mini cake made with love

I was looking through the pictures in my cakes collection and came across this one. This sparks a special memory as it was a gift from Dan on our first Valentine’s Day.

Made with love, a dozen white chocolate heart-shaped mini cakes with pink butter cream icing, topped with a heart chocolate. And yes, it came in a pink basket too.

The taste?  Well, all I can say is that I married him a year later, so it must've been very impressive.  ^_^

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Pink Inspired Tea Party

I had some girlfriends over for afternoon tea and decided to decorate the house in pink. After a few minutes of browsing in the cupboard, I managed to pull out a bunch of pink teacups and decorations.

These are mostly from my wedding last year:

a) Pink tea cups & saucer were used in the Chinese tea ceremony. I decided to go non-conventional with pink instead of the traditional red or gold. We are a multi-cultural couple, so it’s a perfect reason to get away with tradition.

b) Pink petals were originally bought for the table decoration at our reception, but we ended up using fresh petals instead.

c) Pink butterflies were originally bought for the wedding invitation in Malaysia. However, we were told by a Malaysian florist that butterfly represents the story of the “Butterfly lovers”. It is the Chinese version of “Romeo & Juliet”, thus not appropriate for weddings. How silly is that! In really upsets me that people make up foolish traditions from movies. Anyway, we ended up using pink ribbons instead because it is less pointy and easier to insert into the envelope (and of course more economical). At least is for a practical reason rather than a nonsense tradition.

d) Pink ribbons were reused from the presents I received in the past.

e) Pink bouquet of fake roses was bought from Lovely Lace in Malaysia. This was meant to be our throwaway bouquet, but I liked it so much that I decided to keep it. Thankfully, our florist gave us a free throwaway bouquet. So, problems solved.

I even made my very own pink sugar. It was a trick shared by the lady from Teas & Niceties up in Mount Tamborine.

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Spicy Chicken Stew (Dak Doritang)

I have recently added another Korean dish to my repertoire. We have had this a few times in the restaurant and loved the taste. It is unbelievably simple, yet tasty.

Here’s how to make Korean Spicy Chicken Stew in 4 steps.

Ingredients:
500 grams of sliced chicken thigh (or breast)
3 potatoes sliced in cubes
2 carrots sliced in cubes
1 onion sliced in cubes
2 cups of water
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoon of hot pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
Few drops of sesame oil
1 tablespoon Korean chilli flakes (optional)

1. Add in water, potatoes, carrots, onion and meat in a pot and bring it to boil.

2. Mix garlic, hot pepper paste, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil on a small bowl.

3. Add the mixed sauce to the pot when it starts boiling.

4. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes, or until carrots and potatoes are cooked. Stir occasionally.

This can be eaten with rice, but we had ours with glass noodles. Simply tasty!

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Seafood Banquet at The Thai Orchid Restaurant

We have always loved Thai food but rarely venture out from our local favourites. Last week, we decided to try Thai Orchid Restaurant at Mt Gravatt – And boy, are we glad we did!

We were celebrating our 1 year anniversary, so what else could we do but go for the Seafood Banquet. We were blown away by the entrées and their mains were marvellous!

Our entrée of Coconut Prawns, Calamari, Fish Cakes and Scallops were droolicious. Prawns, Calamari and Scallops were cooked to perfection and the home made Fish Cakes are the best we’ve had so far.

For mains, we were served Moreton Bay Bugs Salad instead of Crab Salad as stated in the menu. The waitress told us they ran out of crabs, so they had replaced it with Moreton Bay bugs. The taste of fresh bugs mixed with herbs, lemon juice, coriander, mint and coconut milk is heavenly. We were glad they ran out of crabs!

The two other mains were Fish Fillet Curry and Combination Seafood Stir Fry with Vegetables. We couldn’t fault it at all!

Our banquet ended with a choice between Deep Fried Ice Cream and Mixed Tropical Fruit with Ice Cream. Dan & I both went for the Deep Fried Ice Cream. As far as dessert go, this is pretty average, but still a good way to end the night. We will definitely be back for more.....

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Meat Feast at Mundo Churrasco

After being silent for over a month, I figured the best way to make a comeback is with a feast. We have also wanted to try Brazilian cuisine. After a few missed opportunities in Montreal and Sydney, we were excited to find this Brazilian restaurant in Brisbane.

Mundo Churrasco, 63 McGregor Tce, Bardon

Mundo Churrasco is definitely not for the faint hearted. It offers an all-you-can-eat meat feast with delicious and tender cuts of beef, lamb, pork and chicken.  All meals include accompaniments such as Brazilian rice, potato salad, cheese bread, tomato salsa and chips.

Everyone is given a small cylinder with one side painted green and the other red. If you have the green side up, food will keep coming. Once you have had enough, or needed a break, just turn the red side up and the waiter will stop offering you food.

The waiters walk around with big skewers of meat. If your cylinder is turned to green, they will stop at your table to offer you some meat. Using a long, sharp knife, they skilfully carve the meat right in front of you.

For the amount of meat you get, $34.50 is a fair price to pay. It is $10 less for Vegetarian, but honestly, why bother going to a meat buffet if you are a vegetarian?!?!?

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Lindt Café

This is one of my favourite dessert places in Sydney. Upon entering the cafe, we were enticed by the collection of beautiful looking cakes. It was a difficult decision on what to order. I wished we could taste one of each without burning a hole in our pockets. A slice of these gorgeous looking cakes cost somewhere between $12-14. Some cakes cost more for dine in.

We went to the Lindt cafe in Martin Place last year, so we thought of giving the one in Darling Harbour a try this trip. I might be biased but I think they are equally as good. The only difference is indoor vs outdoor dining.

The other specialty is their “Delice Collection”, which is also known as Macarons by the French. Out of the few Maracons I have tested before, Lindt’s Delice is definitely the best by far! Full of flavour and melt in your mouth texture. We ordered a Strawberry Delice (for me) and Passion Delice (for Dan). It is so delicately delicious that I could easily have eaten half a dozen. It is also reasonably priced at $2.20 each.

There are other delicacies from their Connoisseurs Collection and Ice Creams which we did not try on this trip.

Now I am hoping that they will open a cafe in Brisbane......still wishing~


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Lemon Cupcake with Pink Glaze Icing

I have been experimenting with cupcakes recipes and decorations after being approached by a friend with the possibility of making their wedding cupcake tower. Still not quite sure about the decorating part but it has been a yummy trial so far. :)

Although a lemon cake may not be suitable for a wedding, Dan & I love the citrusy taste of this.

Ingredients:
125 grams of softened butter
Rind of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
220 grams castor sugar
2 eggs
150 grams of self-raising flour
75 grams of plain flour
125 ml of milk

Glaze icing:
1 ½ cup of icing sugar
Juice of ½ lemon (remainder) – this can be replaced with milk if you want a less citrusy taste
Food colouring

1. Beat butter, lemon rind and sugar until light and fluffy

2. Add in 1 egg at a time and continue beating

3. Add milk and lemon to the mixture

4. Stir in sifted flour in batches and continue beating the mixture

5. Preheat the oven to 160°C

6. Scoop the mixture to the cupcake tray

7. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until cupcake is cooked

8. Transfer cupcakes to a cake rack to cool

9. To make the glaze icing, mix all the ingredients into a small bowl until smooth. Spread immediately on cooled cupcakes.

This recipe makes about 12 large cupcakes. I have also made sugar flowers / apples to top off.

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Kimchi Stew (Kimchi jjigae)

This is Dan’s favourite Korean dish. He reckons the best tasting one came from Wah Korean Restaurant in the city by their previous owner. He was very disappointed in the taste after the restaurant was bought over by someone else.

To end his misery, I decided to learn how to cook this at home. I tried a few recipes and spoke to a few people to get this close to his favourite. My first trial from an online recipe uses Gochujang which makes the soup very thick and sweet. The lady at our local Korean sore store gave me her recipe and suggested replacing Gochujang with Korean spicy soup base. My Korean friend, Teri recommended adding beef stock to balance the flavour.

I have finally perfected this after a few attempts. Dan gave his seal of approval and made this his favourite. I can assure you that there’s no violence or coercion involved in this! :-)

Ingredients: (serves 4 as sides or 2 as mains)
1 cup ripened Kimchi
½ pack of firm tofu
1 stalk of sliced shallots
250 grams of sliced pork medallion (we prefer lean meat but you can use sliced pork belly)
2 teaspoon rice cooking wine (Korean Mirin)
4 teaspoons of Korean spicy soup base
4 cloves of minced garlic
Few drops of sesame oil
1 cube of beef stock
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon Korean chilli flakes

1. Marinade sliced pork with minced garlic, rice cooking wine, spicy soup base, sesame oil for 10 minutes.

2. Cut Kimchi into bite sized pieces (not required if buying pre-cut Kimchi).

3. Heat up a soup pot. Add 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil and stir fry pre-marinated pork.

4. Add in Kimchi pieces once the meat is half-cooked and stir-fry together.

5. Add water, beef stock and Kimchi juice to the pot and bring to boil.

6. Add Korean chilli flakes to taste.

7. Once Kimchi is tender, add sliced tofu and shallots and simmer for a few minutes.

8. Remove from heat and it is ready to be served.

This is best eaten with a bowl of rice. You can add a handful of freshly sliced shallots for dressing.  Here's a picture taken from an earlier attempt.

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